Torunai
by neko-kougal
Summary: I restarted my Torunai Universe and this is the first chapter of said universe hope you all enjoy it
1. Chapter 1

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**This is a rewrite of the original Uzumaki Torunai and The Redux version and maybe some elements from the others. This is currently the only story I'm working on. I had 5 stories in the works but scraped them all in favor for this one. Pairings are undecided and I might not add any later. It is Rated M because of violence, language use and others I haven't decided on.**

Chapter 1

The early glow of the morning embers crawled along the village hidden in the leaves, Konoha. Upon a rooftop near the mountain looming over the village something stirred. Golden eyes greeted the morning sun from the stirring bundle.

"Good morning Konoha!" A croaky voice shouted to any one that would listen, but no one did, as usual.

The six year old red head huffed then jumped from the roof to the tree where she climbed down. She made her way towards one of the rivers nearby where she normally washed herself and her clothes.

After a cold bath the girl went to one of the nearby trees and knocked on the trunk on seemingly random places. The bark of the tree opened and she climbed down the ladder into the small room below. The room barely had place to move but plenty of space to hang her wet clothes and dress in the dry ones she washed the previous day.

After getting dressed and closing her secret closet the girl went into town where she would try and get food to fill her aching stomach. She stalked one of the venders' shops and waited for them to throw out the spoiled stock. The girl didn't have to wait long for the pick of the day.

Once they went back into the shop the girl jumped into the container and started sniffing out her next meal. She got lucky with just a few bruised apples and a slightly stale piece of bread. The girl practically inhaled the food before getting out of the container and walking into the public sector where the people just started to arrive. The girl jumped when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What's a girl like you doing in this part of town?" The voice was soft but challenging.

"Who wants to know?" the girl snapped back.

The world started to swirl around her and the next thing the girl knew she was standing face to face with one of the faces on the monument, only this time it was the actual person, and he seemed like a stern person. The girl kept her mouth in check as to not cross this shinobi.

"Why am I here?" she asked the older man.

"You are a very elusive person to find, for a six year old at least." The old man said avoiding the question. "You must excuse the ANBU they don't speak much."

"No disrespect but I really don't care about that, sir, why am I here?" the girl asked again slightly agitated.

"I went to look for you in the orphanage, but they said you just disappeared a year ago. I wanted to offer you an opportunity that might change your life. To join the shinobi ranks. The opportunity would've taken you out of the orphanage and into a flat of your own."

"Disappeared? I've been thrown out you senile old coot!" the girl shouted losing her cool.

"I did not know that. It is a good thing that my ANBU found you then, before something bad happened to you." the old man said ignoring her snap.

"Too late for that, I'm already living on the street!" the girl snapped back.

"My apologies," the old man said deciding not to correct her, "on to business. Uzumaki Torunai, would you mind joining the shinobi ranks?"

"What's your deal, besides getting me killed?" the girl asked slightly calmer.

"I see you are a smart girl, what I am offering is a roof over your head and food in your stomach on a daily bases until you graduate the academy. As a gennin you would earn money for food and after a few months rent. I also offer you some spending money and basic equipment for the academy and your first months as gennin."

"I don't like it, but I can't turn down free food. When and if I accept, how long before I can get the roof and food?"

"Immediately"

**A year later**

Torunai sat in the school's library with several heavy tomes before her. It has been a year since she found her family name, but only now did she find the time to search for people with a similar name. So far she didn't have much luck. In a village like Konoha there were surprisingly a lot of people, but none amongst the living had her family name. That was why she read these tomes now, to find a deceased member.

At the early hours of the morning she found a single name that stood out, Uzumaki Kushina. Not much was written about her. In fact they had no more then her nickname and statistics like height, weight, breast size and date of death. The rest was classified as an S-ranked secret.

Torunai sighed as she walked out of the library towards her home. She smiled when she reached the crossing where she would turn down to her flat. She smiled knowing that other way was her secret closet where she stored a copy of everything she owned. From her clothing and equipment to food that wouldn't spoil. Torunai decided to take long bath and then visit the Hokage. She really wanted to know about her heritage, or at least enough to ease her mind.

With warm reddened skin Torunai got out of the bath and dressed casually. Saturdays she spent mostly on training by herself. Sundays she just lazed around catching up on her reading and during the week it was to the academy where she spent her days as an average student.

Smiling at her reflection, Torunai left her apartment and made her way to the Hokage's office. Once there the secretary wrote her name in the next slot and asked her to wait. Several minutes later the office door opened and a man with gravity defying hair walked out, his nose buried in a book.

"The Hokage will see you now, Torunai." The secretary smiled.

"Torunai, what brings you here on a Saturday?" the Hokage asked smiling.

"Could we have some privacy, this is about a certain S-ranked secret." Torunai said smiling. The Hokage made the seals.

"I just found out that there was an Uzumaki woman who died on the day I was born. I think she's might be my mother." Torunai announced.

"Oh that," the Hokage sighed in relieve, "We assumed that much, but as you said, she died on the day of your birth, so there wasn't a way to proof it."

"You said there wasn't one, is there a way now?" Torunai asked in a challenging voice.

"There might be, but you'll need to wait for another few months for the person to return from her mission." The Hokage said sagely.

"I see, and she will be able to tell one way or the other?" Torunai asked with a raised brow. The Hokage just nodded.

**A month later**

There was a knock on Torunai's door at around two in the morning. Deprived from her sleep the girl got up and picked up a few kunai for protection. She unlocked the door and took a step back, keeping her kunai ready. The door opened slowly but there wasn't a sign of movement. A split second later the sound of kunai meeting mid-air was heard.

"Good start kid, but I am jounin level so it is fruitless to continue." A woman's voice broke the silence. "I heard you were asking about a friend of mine, Uzumaki Kushina. What the hell gives you permission to do that?"

"I share a family name with her, I believe that gives me more right then it gives you." Torunai snapped back.

"Feisty, I like that, but that will only get you so far," the woman threw a hairclip towards Torunai. "We'll see if you are worthy of the name. Put that clip in your hair."

Torunai was cautious but knew that she shouldn't argue with this woman. She slowly placed the clip into her hair, almost instantly she felt a sensation wash over her, like she was swimming in a vast ocean of pure energy.

"Your story checks out little girl, it seems like you are indeed an Uzumaki. The name's Mitarashi Anko." The woman introduced herself smiling like the proverbial cat.

"How can you tell I'm an Uzumaki by just giving me this clip?" Torunai felt a bit more comfortable but still cautious.

"Easy, that clip kills anyone that isn't Uzumaki by blood." Anko laughed. Reluctantly Torunai joined in.

Anko made her way to the table after Torunai invited her in. She placed a bag on the table and motioned Torunai to sit opposite her. Pulling out a small box Anko took a mini kunai out and flung it at Torunai's head.

"What the hell!" Torunai shouted when the mini kunai phased through her shoulder.

"Your mother left these things in my care when she got pregnant. She said that she would pick it up afterwards and in the worst case I should pass it on to her child. These kunai work great with torture and provide entertainment during drinking games. Kushina called them the 'Russian Roulette'. Only one of them can hurt a person." Anko said picking a kunai out of the box.

"How can you tell them apart?" Torunai asked curiosity getting the better of her.

"There is a blood seal on the ring of the 'bullet'. After rubbing some of your blood on it you'll feel the pull of blood under your skin, while the others feel like normal kunai but a seal under the wrappings allows them to phase. They were a priced possession of your mother's, use them immaturely." Anko said handing the 'bullet' to Torunai to so that she could activate the blood seal on it. She moved the box to the side of the table.

"My mother tortured people?" Torunai created a fantasy of her alleged mother over the course of the last month so she found it hard to swallow.

"Nah, Kushina used it for drinking games. Me I use it for torture." Anko saw that Torunai wasn't ready to know the full extent of the Bloody Habanero so she compromised.

"They tell me you started the academy, and judging by your throw earlier you suck at taijutsu." Anko lifted a finger when Torunai tried to interject. "All academy students suck. Kushina always said that 'the key to success is in the faults, over specialize and you breed in weakness'. That was why she wrote you a guide to create a fighting style that allows you to adapt to your opponent." Anko handed Torunai a book. "You won't find a step-by-step guide to fight in it but you will find an eye opener."

"Did they test your chakra levels at that poor excuse, I mean academy yet?" Torunai shook her head. Anko sighed and handed a piece of piping to her. "Channel your chakra into that."

Torunai scrunched up her nose cutely in concentration causing Anko's heart to melt a little. Seconds later the little pipe started to glow revealing black marks all along its length. When the entire pipe turned blue Anko asked Torunai to stop.

"You have quite a lot of chakra for someone as small as you are, and all of it your own." Anko said knowing she overstepped a village boundary, but not caring since Kushina gave her permission to cross it 'when the time is right'.

"Sorry, what did you mean it is all my own?" Torunai asked not liking the silence.

"You most likely heard the story before, of how the Yondaime defeated the Kyuubi. What they neglect to tell you is that a creature like that can't be killed, only sealed. Now your mother was once the host for it and since she isn't around anymore that burden falls on you. Personally I don't know how it escaped and why it was kept as an S-ranked secret."

"So I got the Kyuubi in me? What's its name?" Torunai bounced in her chair.

"You're a weird little girl. Anyway, the reason I checked your chakra level was to see if you could perform the basic jutsu the academy teaches. Two out of three isn't bad, but forget that clone illusion."

"But then how…" Torunai was stopped by Anko reaching into the bag and taking out a piece of paper and a scroll.

"Channel chakra into the piece of paper." Torunai did it cutting it in half and soaking both halves. "Wind and water, we got a demi-avatar on our hands, whoop-whoop. Now this scroll has all the clones in our arsenal, focus on the mizu- and kage buunshin."

Pushing the scrolls to the side of the table with the rest of the stuff that already came out of the bag Anko once again took another item out of the bag, a leather band.

"This, well belt for lack of a better word, has a combination of 4000 multi-purpose seals on it. The seals were designed by your mother and taught to me. I'll teach it to you once you have better chakra control, for now you can use this. I stored some of my toys in there, the sharp and pointy kind."

"How much, um, toys are in there?" Torunai asked cautiously.

"Enough to finance the next war for all the nations," Anko laughed. "You see what I like about these seals are that it seals by type and not quantity. I used three slots and stored well over a million kunai, shuriken and senbon each. A habit you'll learn soon, if you see a tool in good condition pick it up and seal it. If you can restore it, seal it, which brings me to this…" Anko put the 'belt' down and took out a little box.

"What is it?" Torunai asked sitting on the balls of her feet by now.

"It's a weapon restore kit. It allows you to use chakra to restore weapons that hasn't been damaged too much to their former glory."

Anko reached into the bag again and took out a strange needle-like object. She pierced her finger with it and ran the blood over it. The object glowed red for a second then turned orange.

"This special needle allows you to stitch invincible seals into objects using your chakra as thread. I will teach you a specific seal you need to sow into your clothes to make you practically invincible, a mere heat-like shimmer. Your mom called it Thermal Optic Camouflage."

"Cool," Torunai exclaimed.

"The rest of this bag contains some books and notes that belonged to your mother. It was all I could find in the rubble that once was her house. That and this…" Anko pulled a burnt, torn photo out of the bag. "The Hokage wouldn't allow me to give you the full photo, meaning he wanted to keep your father a secret. I respect that like I respect the 'fourth' face on the mountain and what he meant to your mother." Anko winked as she handed the photo to Torunai.

It had a woman with long red hair standing next to a clearly young teen version of Anko. Around Kushina's shoulder was an arm with a white sleeve and over their shoulders were the face of the Yondaime in the mountain.

**Two years later**

Torunai sat in the corner of her apartment trying to be as small as possible. The reason was clear when a woman with pink hair slowly edged her way towards the 9-year-old girl. The angry glow in her eyes wasn't lost to any one and the killing intent was fierce.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR!" Anko growled as her shadow touched the young girl.

"I just wanted to see how you would look with Sakura-chan's hair. It would disappear in five minutes." Torunai tried in vein.

"You don't touch my hair…" Anko started but then got her grin back. "I got a better idea let's do a bunny-hunt. That would teach you to mess with my hair, even if you like that screaming banshee."

Torunai said nothing but gulped wondering how an innocent sounding idea like 'bunny-hunt' could end up scaring her to death. She saw Anko forming a nendo buunshin while the original took a predatory seat on the couch the clone disappeared to who knows where.

Several minutes later the clone came back with a bag, not unlike the one she had when they first met. Slowly the clone took out the contents and placing them on the coffee table. First was lingerie that was clearly meant for someone of Torunai's size but not her age. It was a see-through bra, and a crotchless thong, then the novelty bunny-ears and a cotton tail. Torunai clearly recognized the chakra-glue seals on them, next were a few vials of pheromones. The labels clearly read 'Rabbit in heat' in kanji. The last items were a set of orange fuzzy pants and sweater.

Anko took of the leather strap she wore under her jacket and seemingly studied the contents on the seals. Torunai knew that Anko knew the strap intimately she was just playing. Anko ran her finger over a seal and a chakra suppression seal jumped out.

Slowly Anko walked over to the huddling girl and applied the seal, the ink disappearing into Torunai's skin. The sudden loss made Torunai lose consciousness. As her world turned black Torunai only vaguely recall feeling her clothes being removed.

Torunai's eyes suddenly jerked open. She could smell the grass around her, as well as the strong scent of bunnies. Sitting up she saw Anko sitting on the stump of a tree grinning like the Cheshire cat and spinning a kunai around her finger.

"Good you are awake. Welcome to Training Ground 44, or the forest of death as it's been nicknamed. Until I had enough you will stay here and try to escape. Take note that there are wild animals in here that likes to eat bunnies, and then there's me. I will be throwing various sharp and pointy things at you and slowly destroying your clothes. So all that is left to say now is…. Run!" Anko threw a kunai.

Out of pure instinct Torunai barely dodged the projectile, barely meaning clothing was cut. Without her large chakra reserve Torunai found it difficult to build up speed. And so the longest two weeks of Torunai's life began.

**Day Eleven**

Torunai was exhausted, way beyond what she put herself through. She was down to a shoe and the panties, Anko wasn't kidding and Torunai definitely regretted ever messing with Anko. On a side note she swore off the color orange for life. Finding a soft spot under the tree with a thick bush around it, Torunai lay down for a nap. She had found this tree with only the faintest of luck and so far Anko didn't find her while she was there.

Torunai barely closed her eyes when she found herself in a corridor, dry water running over the ground. The water was basically a trickle, not unlike a tap running. Still feeling her exhaustion but somehow having the energy to walk around Torunai made her way through the maze of tunnels. Nearly an hour into her journey she heard an ominous growl.

Scared but curious Torunai made her way towards the sound, she reached a place that seemed like a chamber. A large gate blocked whatever made the growl from Torunai. A feeling of empathy washed over Torunai was she studied the shadow. It was clearly the Kyuubi and the gate was part of the seal that kept it at bay.

"What's your name?" Torunai said as loud as she could, not knowing if the fox could hear her.

"Don't be so fucking loud kid. There's nothing wrong with my ears." the Kyuubi growled. Somehow the growls sounded feminine. "Why do you want to know my name? None of my other containers cared."

"My name is Uzumaki Torunai. I am the daughter of your former container, Uzumaki Kushina." Torunai said in her normal voice.

"A dog is a dog is a dog. It doesn't matter how the prison looks if its still prison." The Kyuubi said still not opening its eyes.

"Can I change this place to make it more comfortable for you? I don't know much about seals but I figure this is my mind so I can change it somewhat."

"Compared to your mother and my first container this is just fine, but I think that a little light can do wonders." The Kyuubi opened one eye seeing a little girl furrowing her brows in concentration and soon the place became lighter.

"How's that, I tried to match the sunlight outside as best as I could. So will you tell me your name now, I just think Kyuubi or Kitsune won't work because it's a title and what you are, not who you are." Torunai said bright eyed.

"You are a weird little girl, you know that?" Torunai nodded.

"That's what I've been told."

"I don't care what you call me, now beat it pipsqueak I was trying to sleep." The Kyuubi said and Torunai found herself back in the waking world, with more energy then she had in days.

Too bad Torunai decided to climb out of her safe place just as Anko walked by. But in spite her losing the last of her clothes Torunai dashed away at speeds that not even she thought was possible. Anko despite herself, smiled at the younger girl. The next time they meet she would take her out of the forest… but make her walk home as she is now, since that is the last part of the bunny-hunt.

**A year later**

"Okay class, I want to welcome you all to the gennin exam." Iruka announced to the class in general, "For those of you that doesn't know, these exams takes place every six months and is open to anyone who thinks they are ready to take it. I see quite a few familiar faces retaking the exam. I also welcome the members of my homeroom, and our youngest also welcome to our young friend from two years down, Torunai."

At the mention of her name the young girl looked up smiling. She was surprised to be mentioned at all, and the fact that she was the youngest in the class boosted her ego slightly. Leaving her book on the table Torunai looked around the class. There were quite a few clan members, and judging by their appearance they all might, one day, be clan leaders.

Torunai sat at a table with a rather chubby boy who introduced himself as Chouji, and his sleeping friend with a messy ponytail, as Shikamaru. They were obviously part of the majority of the class. In front of them was a boy with a haircut that Torunai, at first glance, mistook for a summoned duck. Next to him was the girl Torunai saw around the grounds and had a slight crush on, the pink haired Sakura and her frienemy, Ino.

Behind Torunai was the sent of puppy and raw meat, a clear indication of an Inuzuka. A slight hum next to him indicated an Aburame and then there was the rhythmic breathing that accompanied nervousness. Torunai risked a quick peek and noticed the white eyes, a Hyuuga, but before Torunai could move on to the middle row Iruka spoke up again, claiming her attention.

"There's going to be three parts to this exam. A physical part consisting out of nage-jutsu (throwing tools) and sparring. A knowledge part consisting out of a written test, these count for 40% of your grade. The last part is the jutsu section which counts for the rest of your grade. The jutsu is selected randomly just before the test. Today we will do the physical part then allow you three days to study for the written test and then a further three days to brush up on the jutsu you learned here in the academy."

The students were lead outside where the chuunin instructor, Mizuki, had just finished setting up the targets and marked out the sparring ground. He gave them a fake smile and went to the targets to start the moving ones moving.

"To pass the nage-jutsu portion of the test you should hit the targets on one of the vital spots. The absolute minimum passing requirement is the four stationary targets, and one moving target. You have three chances with each target, but points are reduced for every projectile you use. We'll start with the youngest, Torunai please step up and produce your projectile of choice." Iruka said motioning towards the young girl.

Torunai took out 21 kunai from her kunai sack and handed them to Mizuki for inspection. After receiving the nod Torunai took seven kunai and went to the staring line. She took a deep breath while she scanned her seven targets. Four stationary at weird angles, one swinging slowly in a circle, one swinging side to side at a medium pace and the last swinging back and forth very fast.

Seconds later seven thuds were heard and Torunai made her way to the table to collect her remaining kunai. Iruka was surprised when the girl put them away and walked towards him, it was at this point he looked towards the targets and saw all but one dead centre, the off one was angled to cause serious damage but not an instant death.

"Not bad, although the rotating target, if it was a shinobi, would still be able to attack you one last time. In all you pass the nage-jutsu, please wait at the sparring ground for the other students."

Smiling Torunai skipped away, and went back to reading the book she started in class, a book about summons she got from the pile Anko dropped of when they first met. Around ten minutes later the last of the students finished the first part. Torunai's cheeks momentary turned red when she realized that Sakura was sitting next to her. She didn't care that Sasuke was next to Sakura. In fact she didn't pay him much mind.

"Okay, class you will be paired with another student of your age group for this part and seeing that Torunai is the only one her age she will be paired with Mizuki." Iruka proceeded to place the students. When he was finished he turned to Torunai.

"You are paired with a chuunin so your test is slightly different. All you need to do is land at least four hits on Mizuki-sensei and you will pass. This is not to baby you as I'm told you hate, it is fair since Mizuki-sensei outclasses you." Torunai narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Standing in front of Mizuki, Torunai bowed in respect and as soon as the match began she raced towards him, the speed she felt during the bunny-hunt somehow made their way back into her limbs. With the sickening sound of flesh being squashed, nearly all the males felt the empathy pain in their groins as Mizuki was doubled over in pain. Torunai didn't stop there as she tripped the teacher next then kicked him in the ribs three times, earning her pass.

"See you in three days, Torunai, you may go, so study hard." Iruka said to which Torunai smiled and skipped to get her book then skipped home.

**Three days later**

Torunai sat in class chewing her pencil as she went over the test, she studied hard for the past three days but when the paper was placed in front of her all her preparation took a back seat. She was by no means a bad student but she never really liked writing tests. It was only when her body started to shake that she snapped out of her reverie and calmed down enough to write the test. She knew that she won't be the top student but at least she won't be at the very bottom.

The tests were handed in to be graded and the students were advised to remain behind if they wanted to have their results before the last part of the exam. Torunai, chose to stay behind, as did Sasuke and as an extension Sakura and Ino. Shikamaru was asleep keeping him and Chouji behind as well. And the last to stay was the shy Hyuuga girl. Not wanting to read Torunai got up and went to sit next to the girl.

"Hi, my name is Uzumaki Torunai, what is yours?" Torunai smiled.

"H-H-Hinata." The girl was clearly caught off guard.

"Do you always stutter like that Hinata, it's kinda cute." Torunai tried to break the ice.

"No," Hinata said quickly, "You caught me by surprise." The girl turned red.

"So what's the deal with that Sasuke, I only met him twice and I can clearly see he's gay." Hinata choked on her spit.

"What do you mean?" she said in a harsh whisper.

"Well he clearly doesn't have a lack of girls that want his body, but from what I noticed he doesn't want any of them, so that either means he's a girl or he's gay." Torunai said looking at Hinata wide eyed.

"There is a third option you know," Hinata said showing her soft heart, "It's possible that the loss of his family affected him."

"Oh? So mister gay over there is the supposed last Uchiha. I thought he'd be taller, if I take in account what people say about him." Torunai said not really interested. "Personally I don't care, I don't like boys."

"Torunai," Iruka's voice interrupted the girls, "Your paper has been graded, you pass, but I'd suggest spending more time in showing your work."

Bidding her farewell to Hinata, she went to get her paper and go home. She smiled as she made her way home. A C+ on her test was more then what she bargained on. Reaching the crossroad home she caught sight of a shadow behind her.

"Anko-san, I got a C+ on my written test!" Torunai exclaimed.

"Good job kid, this calls for a celebration." Before Torunai knew what happened her world was spinning, when her senses started working again she was standing at…

"The onsen?" Torunai asked confused.

"A nice relaxing soak in the hot springs would do wonders for the stress in your shoulders. And since this is a women only onsen…" Anko left the comment hanging as she paid the entry fee and guided Torunai to the hot springs.

**Another three days later**

"Okay class, the jutsu chosen for this exam is the buunshin. To pass you must make at least three passable copies of yourself. Any form of the technique is acceptable and the normal clone is the lowest passing grade." Iruka said when the class settled down.

"We will do the same as with the physical part of the exam, and start with the youngest. Torunai please follow me to the next class."

Torunai stood in front of the two teachers. The nervousness was back in ten fold as various scenarios passed through her mind, none of them were pretty. She gave a loud "eep" when Iruka told her to begin.

"I can't do the normal buunshin, Iruka-sensei. I try everyday but it keeps overloading. I can do Kage-buunshin but not mizu-buunshin yet."

"You only need to make three copies of yourself, with only one type of buunshin. Any form of the jutsu is acceptable." Mizuki said mistaking the nervous banter for ignorance.

Clenching her jaw, Torunai calmed herself down and formed the combo-seal that resembled a cross. She took a deep breath and concentrated on the seal and jutsu. Exhaling, she released her chakra. When the smoke decimated there were fourteen solid copies of Torunai.

"No, not again!" Torunai shouted as she looked at her copies, "I wanted to do only three not all of them."

"You pass none the less, Torunai. Please dispel the buunshin and come collect your hitai-ate." Iruka smiled at the young girl. Mizuki on the other hand scowled. "You can return to class or you can go home and meet us back here in a week for team assignments. Just remember to get yourself registered before next Monday."

Torunai thanked the teachers before going to class to collect her sketch book, she didn't think it would be this fast. Once she reached the door though, she sensed something amiss. She looked back and saw a glint in Mizuki's eye. Troubled, Torunai foregone her normal skipping and walked the rest of the way.

"Did you do all these Torunai-chan?" Hinata asked when Torunai sat down next to her.

"Wha-uh?" Torunai was taken from her train of thought, "Oh the pictures? Yes I like to draw, I don't think I'm that good though." Torunai laughed, "I'm going to get registered, good luck Hinata."

Torunai wanted to warn the girl about Mizuki, but didn't have enough evidence for it. She instead decided to get registered as fast as possible so that she could get the Hokage notified. She took the shinobi route out the window. She didn't get far when a welcome sight met up with her.

"Anko-san!" Torunai exclaimed not stopping.

"Kokitsune," Anko greeted her back, a nickname she sometimes used when Torunai became 'foxy'.

"What do you know about Mizuki-sensei?" Torunai asked indicating she wasn't in the mood.

"That white-haired, creepy guy working as a sensei at the academy? Not much I'm afraid. Why are you asking?"

"After I got my hitai-ate I noticed a glint in his eyes, it gave me the creeps, almost like he's planning something. I wanted to get to the Hokage and tell him."

"Why not lil' ol' me?" Anko asked in a mock out.

"I can never find you when I want to, at least the Hokage's almost always in his office." Torunai snapped back.

"I'm on it small fry, so go get registered okay? I'll handle this white-haired creep." And with that Anko disappeared.

Torunai slowed her pace, and went to her secret closet to get her 'real' kunoichi supplies, no use in using the old stuff now that she finally graduated. She arrived in the field and made sure no-one was watching, she knocked on the key places and vanished down the hole.

Torunai loosened the plate of her hitai-ate and moved it over to the 'belt' with its 4000 seals. She then got dressed in her new 'official' kunoichi clothes with the thermal-optic camouflage already sown into the fabric. It comprised out of dark purple spats (spandex pants); Leg warmers with her kaihou-hanka and a red, long-sleeved, cropped shirt that hung from her shoulders with build in support in the form of straps over her shoulders.

She placed her mother's clip in her hair and felt the familiar exchange of chakra between them. She took the three bags that held medical supplies and various antidotes and pills and attached them with to her belt with the chakra-glue seals. Making a quick mental check list Torunai smiled and made her way to the registration office.

**End**

**Well there you have the first chapter of the revised Uzumaki Torunai. The next chapter will consist of the forming of teams; the true gennin test; a few useless D-ranks and a higher up mission that I'm still busy planning. Prepare for a few surprises. **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**I'll try my best to live up to the expectations I promised last time: Team placements, a few useless D's and a higher up.**

Chapter 2

After getting registered and giving the Hokage's grandson the slip Torunai went home, anxiously waiting to hear what Anko found out. When she arrived, Anko was standing in front of the door.

"Bad news kid," Anko started as Torunai opened the door for them. "I did some… recon… in Mizuki's home and found some disturbing stuff. The thing is everything I found is circumstantial and won't stand up."

"So what are you going to do?" Torunai asked.

"Me? I can't do shit, we need to catch him in the act." Anko's frustration showed.

"I…" Torunai looked at her hitai-ate. "I can try and trick him into using me for what ever it is."

**An hour later**

Torunai sat on the swing outside the academy. Her eyes were stinging from the sand she forced into them to make herself cry. The rest she could fake quite easily, just not the crying. A few moments passed when her target made his move.

"Hey there, Torunai was it?" Mizuki said in a soft voice, Torunai nodded. "Why are you crying, you did pass the graduation didn't you?"

"I, I passed the test, but when I went to register. When I went to register the Hokage said… he said…" Torunai broke down in a fit of sobs.

The gears in Mizuki's head started to turn, if the Hokage turned the girl down then she might want to get back at him by proving she had the right stuff.

"He said the same to me when I graduated, it doesn't mean you can't be a ninja, it just means you need to proof yourself. I happen to know how you can do just that." Mizuki said with the glint back in his eyes.

Torunai's eyes stretched as she heard what Mizuki wanted her to do. When she told Anko about the situation Anko went quiet, but after a while she told Torunai to go ahead with the plan.

Torunai waited for the dead of night before she made her move. Getting into the most secure building and getting the scroll was easy enough, although getting out caused a slight problem. The Hokage was having a stroll through the halls and saw the young girl there. One knock out jutsu later, one involving an older, naked, well endowed blonde version of Torunai, the girl made her way to the rendezvous point.

Upon arrival she was still at least an hour early. Sighing to herself Torunai decided to look into the scroll and actually earn her banishment she was sure she would get. The first jutsu that was written down was the kage-buunshin. Torunai's eye fell on the line close to the bottom: 'Whatever your clones learn is transmitted back to you, which can cause mental exhaustion'.

Torunai unrolled the scroll a little more and saw her family name in the jutsu header. Upon reading further she noticed that it wasn't so much a jutsu as it was a list of what the Uzumaki clip was capable of, it read:

_The Uzumaki clip is a device that would overflow the chakra and knowledge_

_to anyone that would try and use it other then an Uzumaki by blood and kill_

_them. With the set of seals listed below an Uzumaki can recall all the _

_knowledge stored within the clip along with the summons that reside with_

_it. The chakra is constantly flowing between the clip and Uzumaki and they_

_retain any knowledge they had access to and/or stored within the clip._

Torunai studied the long list of seals and made sure to memorize all fifty of them in order for later use. She heard a rustling in a tree signaling Anko's arrival and shortly after that Mizuki walked out of the shadow.

"I see you made it, but the Hokage made quite a scene, seems like he caught you, but you escaped. That's a good thing it means you have resources. Not that it would help you, since you stole the scroll of sealing. Your career in this village is over." Mizuki said adding a maniacal laugh.

"You mean you tricked me? But why? You are a teacher at the academy." Torunai was sobbing at the end showing her 'betrayal'.

"I needed a scapegoat to take the fall while I made my way out of the village with the scroll. For me its win-win." Mizuki laughed not noticing Torunai's expression change.

"Anko, is that enough evidence?" Torunai shouted into the sky.

"What are you…" Mizuki started but was knocked out from behind. Anko stood there smiling, something retracting into her sleeve.

"Sure is kid, now let's go back and clear your name." Anko said then let out a low whistle. Several ANBU dropped into the clearing and took Mizuki into custody.

When Anko and Torunai arrived at the tower, the Hokage was waiting for them, his face was unreadable.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?" he said in a harsh whisper as he closed his office door.

"I came to you, earlier and told you about my suspicion. You said we couldn't do anything without proof. I couldn't find anything in the little shit's house that to build a case, so I improvised." Anko snapped back, "I respect you Hokage-sama, but sometimes your ideals get in the way, the least you could do in this situation was investigate."

"I'll take that, but why did you drag young Torunai into this?" the Hokage finally got to the point he wanted to make.

"Because I told her about Mizuki," Torunai chipped in before Anko could say anything. "I felt something off about him when I did my test, and I came up with the plan to trap him. I know what I did was wrong and I will take any punishment you can give me."

The Hokage was stunned silent for a while before he rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled a book, a scroll and piece of paper out. The scroll was tossed at Anko who instantly recognized it as a reward scroll. The book he threw to Torunai who saw her family name on the cover.

"The money in the scroll is to be split between the two of you." The Hokage said to Anko. "And that book contains detailed descriptions of the techniques used by the two Uzumaki clan members that made Konoha their home." The Hokage sighed before lifting the paper. "Lastly Torunai will sign this contract claiming that she invented a forbidden technique and write it down in the very scroll she took tonight."

Anko looked at Torunai with a raised brow. Torunai for her part thought long and hard about the supposed forbidden technique she created. When it finally hit her one could see the light in her head go on.

"You mean the henge I did that knocked you out?" Torunai asked, the redness of the Hokage's cheeks and the small amount of blood out of his nose was all the answer she needed. "Does this mean the other one is also forbidden?"

"The other one?" the Hokage asked slightly scared.

"The same jutsu but with kage-buunshin added to it." Torunai said innocently.

**A week later**

Torunai got up early and made her way to the academy, she was wearing her official ninja outfit and deemed herself ready for anything. Just outside the academy a familiar shadow appeared behind her.

"Ready for this kid?" Anko asked sounding like she would rather be anywhere else.

"So this is what the Hokage decided was your punishment? Scarring the gennin into quitting?" Torunai laughed.

"Don't you mean 'scaring'?" Anko asked also laughing.

"With you they are one and the same." Torunai said as they walked into the academy. "Do you want help? I know you don't need it, but it might be interesting."

Anko just smirked and pushed Torunai into the class. Anko made her way to the teacher's desk and sat with her feet up. When the class filled up, she unsealed a generous helping of dango and started munching. Taking it as her cue, Torunai smiled at Hinata next to her and then addressed Anko.

"May I have one Anko-san?" Torunai called in a half scared voice.

Anko opened an eye and smirked, with just a flick the dango went flying and the stick pierced Torunai's shoulder earning an 'eep' from the girl. Half the graduating class got up from that little act, leaving their hitai-ate behind.

Torunai's arm was numb so she took to eating the dango off the stick still stuck in her shoulder. Several others followed the example of the others and left, leaving twenty-nine students. Anko did a once over and cursed silently. She didn't want an uneven class and the Hokage said she shouldn't intimidate the class if there were thirty or less left.

Luckily Iruka came in to safe her from her predicament. He sighed when he saw that most of the class left save for the clan members and a few more promising kids. He scanned the room and saw the two red heads, but couldn't find the other member that should've been with them.

"I see that the Hokage's representative has arrived and scared away most of the class, how unfortunate. I had a good feeling about this class." Iruka said before clearing his throat. "As I said, today we will be assigning you to teams. Each team was selected according to their skills, but will not be limited to them." Iruka stopped as a kunai landed on the table before him. "My colleague wishes to speed this along, so please hold all your questions to the end. Team one will be…"

Iruka listed the teams and their specialty, among the ones he mentioned was the assault team of Haruno Sakura, Sai and Uchiha Sasuke; the tracking team of Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba; and the Capture and interrogation team of Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. This led to the last team on the list:

"The last team seems to be a member short. Anko will escort them to the Hokage after we adjourn. The team is an infiltration/assassination/medical team. The team is Amaru and Uzumaki Torunai."

In his office with the jounin instructors, the Hokage peered into his crystal ball assessing the situation and trying to come up with a plan. He put it out of his mind for a minute to assign the jounin to their gennin teams. After he dismissed them he called for someone that was just easy to talk to, the bear faced ANBU. This was the scene that met Anko on her arrival. Anko closed the door and the ANBU melted into the shadows.

"So what are we going to do?" Anko asked, "These girls can't go back into the academy or get lost in the system."

"I agree," the Hokage said.

"I mean, according to her file, Amaru is quite a promising eisei-nin. She mastered the shousen-jutsu in two weeks and has an extensive base of first- and second aid, both chakra based and civilian based."

"I know," the Hokage said smiling at Anko's tirade.

"Then we get Torunai, she has outrun ANBU on numerous occasions, and has managed to hide from me. She sniffed out that weasel and came up with a plan to capture him. Not to mention, she has amazing amounts of chakra and her control over it is at least chuunin level."

"That is why their team will continue under the tutelage of several part time teachers. The reason is simple: to assign a full time jounin over them would be a waste of village resources. To deny them the opportunity to continue their training would be criminal." The Hokage lit his pipe, mostly to hide his smirk.

"What are you playing at, Hokage-sama?" Anko asked slowly.

"Simple, I'm going to bypass the gennin test and promote these girls to special-chuunin, the first in the village. They are essentially still gennin, but without the limits that comes with it, like obviously, a single instructor."

"Which leads my to ask, who's going to baby-sit them on their boring missions, will that also be rotated or will it be a chuunin?"

"I'm glad you offered," the Hokage couldn't help but laugh at the face Anko made.

Anko bowed her head without another word and made her way out. She motioned to the girls to follow her and they made their way to the dango café. Once there Anko placed an order of dango for all of them and a bottle of Sake for herself.

"Listen up brats, the Hokage promoted your boney asses to special-chuunin. That basically means that you are just gennin without a fixed jounin instructor. You'll do the same shit the other gennin do, but your training will be handled by mostly specialized chuunin or special-jounin." Anko paused as the orders arrived and downed a warm glassful of Sake.

"During missions, I'm going to baby-sit your asses, so don't test me or I'll issue a bunny-hunt. Now all you need to know about me is my name, the rest you'll learn with time. My name is Mitarashi Anko." She looked at the two girl before snapping "What are you waiting for, introduce yourselves you little shits."

"My name is Amaru." The older red-head said slightly scared. "I come from a town on the edge of fire country. My village was completely destroyed while I was in the care of a eisei-nin. He died saving me from the Reibi that was sealed in me, so I want to honor his memory by becoming the best eisei-nin I can be."

"My name is Uzumaki Torunai." Torunai said slightly less afraid. "My ultimate goal is to be the Hokage, the most respected shinobi in the village. I train hard in every field I can to reach my goal. I really don't want to be in another bunny-hunt because the last few times got me hating everything that has anything to do with it, including the color orange, the color I liked most at one stage."

"Okay so since you're already instated and don't need the true test, finish your dango and meet me in the morning around nine at the mission office. The first mission will be to evaluate your skills, to get you the best trainers later." Anko said taking her dango and Sake and moving to a table with a girl with the Inuzuka clan's markings.

**The next morning**

Torunai and Amaru showed up at the mission office at the same time, 09h55, and waited for Anko to arrive. When Anko arrived, nearly five minutes later, she ushered the girls inside. After receiving the mission Anko escorted them to the outer limits of Konoha, more accurately the onsen. The mission was to clean the waters by the time the mid day rush arrived.

"The task is simple. Use any skills you have at your disposal to sweep the ground out of the water without mucking it up. You have until 12pm, now mush!" Anko demanded while she took a seat on one of the walls and took mental notes on their strategy.

The girls talked amongst themselves to come up with a plan. Soon after Torunai made a few kage-buunshin, while Amaru got into the large pool and walked towards the centre. The Torunai clones moved around the pool and got in around 5ft from one another. They all made the ram seal and plunged their hands into the water, soon after the water started to move from clone to clone slowly forming a vortex.

Amaru made a series of seals when the vortex reached her in the center. A tube formed around her and as the dirt started to come her way it fell in the dry spot. Soon the vortex was spinning wildly and the dirt pilled into the dry spot. When Amaru picked the dirt from the ground she nodded at Torunai who slowed the vortex down until it stopped and Amaru could walk safely out.

"Good use of what you got. Amaru that was the eisei-jutsu to keep wounds dry wasn't it?" Anko asked to which Amaru shyly nodded. "And Torunai, I know you didn't use a jutsu, you just let your chakra flow through the water making it spin and forming a drain of sorts, a waste of chakra but resourceful."

The girls went on to do the same with the other pools in the onsen using the same basic principle. They were done by 11am and Anko collected the pay to take to the Hokage. When they reached the office there was a scarred man with a bandana waiting by the Hokage's desk.

"Girls, this is Morino Ibiki. He is the head of ANBU. The reason he is here is to test your infiltration and assassination skills." The Hokage said in a flat tone. "He is not here to train you so don't get confused. On his recommendation you will be assigned the appropriate teacher."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Ibiki said when the Hokage nodded at him. "Follow me girls."

The girls followed the scarred man to a room down the hall from the Hokage. In the room was a large conference table with an imprint of Konoha on it. Ibiki motioned the girls to sit and went to stand at the head of the table.

"This is the war room. As you can see there is an imprint of Konoha on the table and if I do this…" Ibiki transferred some chakra into a seal on the table. Suddenly Konoha rose out of the table. "We have a 3D map. Now for this test you will try and infiltrate this building here." Konoha moved to reveal a building on the outer skirts of Konoha.

"This building is mostly abandoned but I placed a puppet inside it. Your goal is to get the puppet's head and any scrolls I have lying about the place. The place will be guarded by shinobi of at least chuunin level. You have until 6am tomorrow." Ibiki said as he left the girls to plan their strategy.

Torunai looked at the building that still stood tall on the table, examining it from every angle and contemplating the best route to get in and out.

"This is going to be difficult." Torunai said finally.

"What do you mean?" Amaru asked, "From your whispers I think you have a good entrance and escape route."

"The route is perfect, but the variables aren't. We will need to figure out the patterns of the guards in order to pull this of."

**Later that night**

The girls were dressed in all dark colors as they stalked the building they needed to infiltrate. When the girls went to Torunai's home to gather the needed equipment and to get some rest they got into talks about clothes that lead them to their current situation where all but their eyes were covered.

"Okay I got it," Torunai said in barely more then a breath. "The patrol around the penetration point has a ten second window of opportunity, and from what I can see the inside is less tight but still dangerous." Amaru nodded in agreement.

The girls made their way silently to the starting point and waited for the patrol to disappear. They jumped from the tree line unto the building where they dropped into the air vent just in time to avoid the next patrol. Torunai undid the screws along the top of the air vent and she and Amaru made their way into the roof.

Torunai lead the way through the roof until they reached the darkest corner. There the girls dropped down the wall and made their way through the shadows to their target's room. Peering through the gap in the door Torunai confirmed that no-one but their target was in it.

The girls made their way inside and climbed into the roof to study the scene below. Getting the patrol pattern under wraps the girls made the decision, they would gather all the scrolls and stuff lying around then Amaru will go into the roof while Torunai takes the head and seal it in her belt. And the plan went exactly that way when the next patrol passed them by.

Once again the girls found themselves in the air vents and fastening the screws to hide their presence inside the building. They lay waiting for the outside patrol to pass then quickly made their way into the trees and on to Torunai's home.

Upon reaching the safety of her home, Torunai and Amaru went through the stuff they gathered and sorted them accordingly, after which Torunai took out a scroll and sealed them inside along with the puppet's head, a head resembling Uchiha Sasuke's.

"This isn't over yet. We still need to get all of this to Ibiki-san without being caught." Torunai said in a tired sigh.

"We should rest a bit, and maybe get the dust off of our clothes. It wouldn't do well if we mess this up by being messy." Amaru said and both girls burst out laughing.

"That is a good plan, but it is unnecessary." A male voice spoke from the window.

"Ibiki-san, how long have you been there?" Torunai asked surprised.

"Anko was right," Ibiki smiled, "You are a stealth expert, Torunai, and you shared that with Amaru. I lost sight of you when you went into the trees so I came here to wait. If you two didn't start talking I wouldn't have known you were back."

"We passed the test then?" Amaru asked unsure.

"The test wasn't that type of test, but I would say you did. This means that whoever I recommend as teachers wouldn't have much to teach you, at least not in this field. Now let's see what you girls got for me…"

**Three months later**

The steady flow of annoying D-ranked missions went by without much trouble, and if you asked Torunai, the money wasn't too bad. The teachers that rotated the girls between them taught them quite a lot. The original Ino-Shika-Chou team trained the girls in the art of infiltration, assassination and chakra control.

The girls worked part time in the hospital where they learned from some of the best medics left in Konoha. When they weren't learning at the hospital they were at the Inuzuka compound learning to treat the wounds on nin-companions.

The missions they had were supervised by Anko who also had some input into their training, mainly working on their speed via dodging sharp and pointy things and only if they survived would Anko show them a jutsu they could try to mimic with the scrolls she gave them.

"Okay brats," Anko said when the girls arrived, "You completed the necessary amount of D-ranks to warrant a C-rank."

"You mean a real mission, not another training mission?" the girls asked in unison. Anko nodded and embraced for the impact of dual red heads hugging her.

They made their way to the mission office in relative silence. The girls were too exited to speak anyway, but little noises could be heard occasionally. Anko took the mission scroll and read it before passing it onto the girls. Torunai's face was scrunched up in confusion but it was Amaru who asked the question:

"What is the chuunin selection exam, Hokage-sama?" the Hokage smiled at the young girl.

"It is an event where the surrounding nations send their gennin to another country to participate in an exam to promote them to chuunin. The event takes place on a neutral ground where the nations wouldn't be threatened. This time the exam is held in Konoha."

"According to this, only teams of three members are permitted to take the exam, does this mean that Amaru and me can't enter?" Torunai asked half deflated.

"We'll see how this mission goes, then make a decision. Inuzuka Hana will accompany you on this mission. Anko you need to prepare for another mission, I'll give you the details tomorrow." The Hokage dismissed the girls.

The girls made their way to the flat they began to share after their first month of taking missions as a way to save money. Once there Torunai took off her belt and threw it on the kitchen table and made her way to the one room while Amaru made her way to the other. They both returned with a few sets of clothes and hygiene products.

After sealing the clothes and hygiene products into four separate scrolls they sealed them into Torunai's belt. Amaru then went to the storage closet to get a few sets of extra weapons while Torunai checked her own stock in her belt.

"Amaru, I'm running low on kunai and haven't gotten time to repair that last batch I salvaged last week, how about you?" Torunai called over her shoulder.

"I'm running low on bandages. Our mission with Tora yesterday bled me out." Amaru shouted back.

"Restock then meet at Hana-sensei's?" Torunai asked/stated and after sealing their supplies the girls went their separate ways.

Although they lived together, Torunai couldn't bring herself to tell Amaru about her secret closet, a painful reminder of her time on the street but it had sentimental value. Dropping down into it Torunai deposited her unfixed tools and started sealing in the fixed ones. Yet she considered herself still short, so she took some of her savings and went to one of the weapon shops.

"Hi, I'm running low on kunai and shuriken…" Torunai greeted the girl at the counter. "Tenten, long time no see."

"Torunai, I didn't think I'll see you in here again, not since you started fixing your own tools." Tenten smiled back.

"Well that's Anko's fault. She taught me to salvage. Anyway I'm going on a month long mission and I only have about a hundred usable kunai and twenty shuriken. Do you know how many people use shuriken? Not a lot."

"How's your senbon?" Tenten asked coming from behind the counter.

"Still got over a thousand, I only use those to neutralize. I'm no good with them yet." Torunai unsealed a kunai and gave it to Tenten, who measured it.

"You can only restore these two more times, before they're unusable." Tenten said before taking four boxes of the shelves, "Four hundred kunai and six hundred shuriken, chuunin quality."

"How much," Torunai asked dreading the loss of her wallet.

"200ryo even, that's 50% off for this week only." Tenten smiled and helped Torunai seal the tools up. "Anything else like maybe a short ranged weapon?"

Both girls laughed knowing the answer: Torunai is too short for the weapons in the shop. Meanwhile Amaru was making her way to the hospital district to stock up on her medical aid. She reached the pharmacy next to the hospital and went inside.

"Good morning Takeuchi-san," Amaru greeted the older brown haired woman.

"Amaru-chan, I told you before to call me Junko." The woman smiled, "How can I help you?"

"Junko-san, I'm running low on medical bandages and we are going on a month long mission today." Amaru said blushing redder than Hinata around a cute boy.

"You're lucky. We just got a shipment in. They have been treated with soothing aloe." Junko said taking a box out from behind the counter. "100ryo for four hundred rolls."

"Takeuchi-san, you can't do that, they normally sell for 800ryo/box!" Amaru exclaimed not wanting to receive special treatment.

"It's not charity, Amaru-san, you and Torunai help out here, so I'm giving it to you at cost." Junko's stern gaze stilled any protest Amaru may have had.

Both girls arrived at the Inuzuka compound slightly deflated from their encounters at their respective shops. The look they shared was all they needed to confirm that the other was given a charity they didn't want. They knocked on the door and waited for whoever answered.

"You're early…" a voice greeted them. It came from a teenage girl with brown hair.

"We're here to see Hana-sensei." Torunai said not able to shake the feeling she knew this girl.

"That's me short-stack, I just washed the Inuzuka war paint of. We're going to countries where clans aren't exactly welcome." The girls were shocked to say the least, both thinking the same thing, a small change could make someone unrecognizable.

"Did you two remember to pack food that wouldn't spoil?" Hana asked from the room she went into to change.

"We actually wanted to know what food to pack, seeing as it's our first time out." Amaru said while Torunai sealed the medical supplies away for Amaru.

"We'll go shopping when I finished packing," she threw a scroll at Torunai, "My delicates…"

Ten minutes later the girls finished buying food for the journey and made their way to the main gate. Once there they got there Torunai handed the guards the scroll. One of them smirked and handed her a book and the clipboard to sign.

The trio took civilian route north to the new village that showed interest in the chuunin exam, Oto. The journey would normally take only a few hours if they traveled via the normal route, but the mission scroll stated they had to walk, extending the journey to two days.

"What do you two know about the other countries?" Hana asked the girls as a way to liven them up. She didn't want to blatantly ask them what was wrong.

"Only what we learned in school, like we're not allowed to go to Iwa or Kumo, because of the war and the failed treaty, and that Kiri is off limits to anyone that doesn't want to die." Amaru started.

"And that we are allied to Suna, Kusa, Taki and Ame." Torunai added.

"We also know that the leaders of the smaller villages aren't allowed to call their leaders 'Kage', they never told us why though."

"We also lost a good ally when Uzu fell and their shinobi had to scatter to the other countries." Torunai barely whispered.

"I didn't know that?!" Amaru exclaimed.

"I did," Hana chose to intervene, "I however didn't think anyone of your generation would know about that."

Torunai stuck out her tongue and rubbed her head.

"I kinda did research on where I came from and found out that my mother came from Uzu when she was young for… well I'm not allowed to say because it's a S-class secret. But anyway I thought back then cool, maybe I still have family, then I found out Uzu was gone."

They continued to talk about trivia and other stuff until they stopped to make camp. Hana sent Torunai to gather wood while Amaru started to prepare the food. After a nice meal Hana assigned the guard duties. The first night went of without any trouble and by the next day they reached the border into Oto. There was someone already waiting for them. The shinobi had a sound symbol on his hitai-ate.

"You are form Konoha?" the shinobi asked. Hana pushed Torunai ahead.

"Yes shinobi-san, we are here to get the number of participants you want to send to the chuunin exams." Torunai said a little bit shy.

"We were expecting you. As Oto is still a relatively new village we don't want to enclose our exact location. I've been informed that we will have one team enter the exam, so in essence, three participants and their jounin instructor."

Torunai made the kanji 音 and drew a sound note and wrote 3 next to it she had a suspicion that she couldn't place, almost like what she had with Mizuki. The shinobi signed next to it as an acknowledgement. And the girls were of to the next location around the land of fire, Taki.

It took them a day to get to the Fire/Waterfall border and four days to get permission to enter the hidden village. The village entered two teams and provided safe passage to their neighboring country grass. It took a whole week for the trio to procure access to the hidden village, who also signed up two teams.

On the border between Rain and Fire, the team had to wait two weeks. To ease their boredom Amaru and Torunai trained in chakra control by doing the tree climbing and water walking exercises. On the third day they were attacked by bandits. The bandits didn't last long though as Torunai swamped them with kage-buunshin while Amaru severed their tendons when they were down.

Ame didn't allow the girls access to their village but instead sent a representative who listed 21 teams and their sensei into the chuunin exam. Knowing they would enter the dessert next, the trio bought water and ice in bulk the ice was wrapped around the water before they sealed it into Torunai's belt.

The trek through the desert took them three days and they were welcomed into Suna with open arms. They were shown around the town by a blonde girl, Temari, while the leaders contemplated how many teams they would send and what teams they will send. It took them a day to decide on 30 teams.

The trek home wasn't eventful in the least. The journey took about two days, one to get out of the desert, and one via the shinobi route back to Konoha. When they reached the gate Torunai handed the gate guards the book, they declined it and told them to take it to the Hokage in the mission office.

When they reached the office they had to wait for another team to be debriefed. Torunai blushed when she saw her crush Sakura, but decided against inviting her for lunch or dinner, instead she settled for a casual greeting. The team left and the Hokage turned to the team that entered.

"Ah, I take it the mission was a success?" the Hokage asked casually.

"Yes Hokage-sama," Hana said, "Torunai, please hand the Hokage the book. Torunai filled in the book and I vouch for the number of participants she wrote down."

"Very good, do you have anything to add?" the Hokage addressed the two girls.

"I got a weird vibe from Oto, but that could just be because they are from another village." Torunai confessed.

The Hokage dismissed the team. When they received the payment their eyes stretched beyond their limits. It was at least ten times that of a D-rank. The girls went home but Hana stayed behind to talk to the Hokage.

"It would be a crime to deny them the opportunity to participate in this exam Hokage-sama. If I could redo my test just to allow them passage, I would." Hana said her eyes as cold as steel. "I've been training them at the vet, and from what I saw on this mission, they are well rounded."

"I've looked over the reserve lists over and over again, but I couldn't find a gennin to fill the third slot. I'm considering the possibility of letting them participate as a two man squad."

"So Hokage-sama, what will you do?"

**End of chapter**

**No predictions for the next chapter but it will be set around the chuunin exams. Thank you for everyone who reviewed-, followed- and marked my story as one of their favorites.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The chuunin exams are still a few months away, but they will be included into this chapter.**

Chapter 3

Torunai and Amaru was given a day to rest when the day after their return. A day they spent at the onsen to relax. And while the girls relaxed, the Hokage called a meeting with their various sensei.

"I'm glad you could all could make it," the Hokage started, "Now as you all know the chuunin exams will take place in mere weeks. Anko, Hana and the eisei-nin at the hospital all informed me that it would be ill advised to deny them access to the exams. My problem however is that there isn't a loop-hole to allow them to enter as a two-man squad."

"But…" the assembled shinobi started but the Hokage lifted his hand silencing them.

"There is another way to allow them to advance in rank, field promotion." The Hokage let the information sink in. "There hasn't been a field promotion in Konoha since before the sannin, when the concept of the exams were still too young, so you will most probably not know how it would work. You see to be eligible for a field promotion these days, the shinobi needs to display certain traits while on a mission, and then receive a unanimous vote."

"So," Shikaku said analyzing the Hokage's explanation, "We should assign them to a mission that would give them the opportunity to show they are ready to be chuunin?" the Hokage nodded.

Training resumed as usual for the girls while their instructors waited for an opportunity to arise. The first opportunity came from the eisei-nin at Konoha's hospital. A group of Inuzuka chuunin and their companions were ambushed by jounin during a recon mission to Fang-country.

When Anko lead the girls to the mission office they were stopped by a eisei-nin who gave the official papers to Anko and took the girls to the hospital to stock up on supplies. Within the hour they were heading out to tend to the injured. The journey to Fang took just over an hour. The scene that awaited them wasn't pretty.

"Amaru," a eisei-nin from the Hyuuga clan called, "Start cleaning the wound!"

"Torunai," Hana said just as seriously "Help me gather and scan the nin-dog, heal whatever wounds you can and call one of us if you're not sure about something!"

Amaru and Torunai went to their respected tasks.

Amaru arrived at the furthest Inuzuka male and started cleaning his wounds, she winched when she pulled out the kunai that and started cleaning the wound with the shousen-jutsu. She did this to evaluate the patient's other injuries as well.

"He has massive internal bleeding!" Amaru called over her shoulder, "I can treat it while working on cleaning the wounds, may I go ahead?" the eisei-Hyuuga nodded and hid his smile while he treated his own patient.

Torunai heard the exchange between her teammate and her senior and dared a small smile before going to the next nin-dog and started the shousen-jutsu. The first nin-dog Torunai treated had mere flesh wounds and an egg on his head from where he was knocked out. The second nin-dog wasn't so lucky.

"Hana-sensei, this dog is too far down the line for my current skills. She has several internal injuries, those I can fix but I'm no good with head injuries like hers." Torunai shouted, her voice breaking from the worry. Hana was next to Torunai in seconds.

"I'll take the head while you heal the internal injuries to get oxygen up here!" Hana instructed. She gave a brief smile before concentrating on the dog.

Amaru and Torunai were tossed between the nin-dogs and the injured and every time they showed a trait worthy of chuunin the eisei-nin took note. The group of eight was soon out of critical and ready to be moved back to Konoha for further evaluation. The first squad was relieved from their duties when the back-up team arrived and soon they were heading back to Konoha.

Once back in Konoha the medical squad told the Hokage about Torunai and Amaru's performance during the field mission and gave their vote that they are, as eisei-nin, ready to be promoted as chuunin. The Hokage took note and filed their vote away for later use.

A few days later the girls were busy with another mock-mission for the Ino-Shika-Chou sr. team when a messenger bird cut their training short.

"Girls, how would you like to go on a real infiltration mission?" Inoichi asked after he read the note.

"What do you mean Inoichi-sensei?" Torunai asked as she took of the scarf that hid her red hair.

"We just received word that a random C-ranked mission was misfiled by the client." Chouza said after he too read the note. "We have been summoned to investigate the claim, made by Kakashi, that Gotou uses ninja and rogues to keep the country of wave hostage."

"It's troublesome, but since this is still a C-rank on paper, we need to infiltrate the base, if the claim is true, and salvage anything we can from Gotou that has any value." Shikaku finished after he too read the note.

**Border of Wave three hours later**

The five shinobi stood at the water's edge contemplating how to cross and get to the bridge. The older shinobi shared a look and turned to the girls.

"The mist is filled with chakra, meaning that it is part of a jutsu." Shikaku whispered to the girls, "That means that we could more than likely run into a fight once we reach the other shore."

"But that is where you two strive," Chouza said smiling at the girls and handing them each a black ribbon. "You two will go on ahead and take refuge with the locals as homeless kids, if you need to use a Torunai's unique henge wear this. It will allow us to contact you."

Inoichi made four seals and concentrated on the opposite shore, when he was certain he would clear the fight by at least a kilometer he motioned the girls closer and placed a hand on both their foreheads. They disappeared in a swirl of leaves. He turned to his teammates and simply said:

"And now we wait…"

Torunai and Amaru appeared in one of the side streets of Wave. From the get go they could tell that this place was falling apart at its hinges. Torunai unsealed a brush and ink and motioned Amaru closer. She drew chakra storage seal on Amaru's lower back and pumped it full of chakra. The girls then turned into to young identical girls with ragged clothes. They split up and made their way to different sides of town and started to observe the people of Wave.

Torunai took the east side and made her way through the crowd. She recognized the smell of poor people from her time on the streets back in Konoha. It made her cry when she thought back to those days, back to when she was just kicked out of the orphanage. Torunai found a corner to wait on and scanned the crowd for any sign of wealth.

Soon she saw someone that fit that bill. She knew that it wasn't Gotou, because this one clearly had 'merc-for-hire' written in his body language. She stammered over to him and snuck in on his blindside. Picking his pocket Torunai found a photo and a small scroll, she stood clear of the guy's wallet though.

Torunai made the seals Ibiki taught her and branded one of her own scrolls with an exact copy of the content of the merc's scroll and the photo. She then went back to the merc to return his stuff before he noticed they were gone. Her timing was of by a few seconds because as soon as she retuned them the merc stopped and Torunai's hand bumped into him. Thinking fast Torunai held up her hand and uttered one simple word:

"Please…"

"Wha…" the merc said before it dawned on him that the girl he saw was begging him for a hand out.

"Fuck off you little slut, you have nothing to interest me with!" he shouted and punched Torunai in the face sending her flying over the ground.

Torunai took notice that the people only spared a glance before returning to their business, she filed the information away and marked her mini-mission a success. Torunai got up and began crying as she ran away. She could hear the merc laughing and smirked.

Amaru took her approach differently. She made her way to through town looking into the shops, she knew the shop owners will mistake her peeking for hunger and took advantage of that. More then once one of them would chase her away while others only gave her a look of pity.

Amaru took note of the extreme poverty the town found itself in. It was murder on her mind to see it, since she couldn't imagine anyone that would choose this over fighting back. An image of Torunai caught appeared in her mind, then she realized the people were too busy fighting to survive that they didn't have enough power to fight back.

When Torunai and Amaru met up again they watched as the mist became less dense, a signal that the fight was over between Kakashi's team and the enemy. The girls shared a small roll of stale bread and waited for their sensei.

"So what's the situation here?" Shikaku asked as he was the one that found the girls.

"Extreme poverty and mercs keeping the people too weak to fight back," Torunai said venom dripping from her voice. She gave Shikaku the scroll she copied from the merc.

"Kakashi's team won their fight, but it wasn't without a cost. Kakashi overused his sharingan, again, and his students are scared shitless." Shikaku said casually, "But that isn't our concern. It seems that the mercs are stalking this woman, Tsunami. You two have to stay here a few more days and try to avoid the mercs, and don't let anyone from Kakashi's team suspect you." The girls shared a look as Shikaku vanished, they were given a direct order to stay out of trouble's way, but never been told not to go look for it.

Over the next few days the girls took turns wondering around town and looking for any information that could be useful. Torunai took the first day but nothing new turned up, the same with Amaru the next day.

The third day however turned up a surprise for Torunai. Sakura was walking about with an old man that smelled like booze. Checking her disguise and making sure there aren't any chakra spikes Torunai walked forward but paused seeing how Sakura dropped a man trying to steal her wallet. Torunai smiled knowing Sakura had the potential to look after herself and made her way to the pink haired gennin and tucked at her dress.

"Again…" Sakura said and spun around, green orbs falling on brown. Sakura's heart melted.

"Please…" Torunai said and held out her hands.

"Here…" Sakura said and dropped some sweets into the girl's hands. "Sorry I don't have anything else.

"Thank you…" Torunai said her eyes swelling with tears of joy.

She ran towards an ally and disappeared from sight. She pumped chakra to her ears and overheard how the old drunk told Sakura how this was a daily occurrence. She filed it away to give to the sensei who found them tonight.

By the end of the week all three sensei came to the girls and told them what was about to go down. Kakashi and his team were going to the bridge, and from what Inoichi gathered when he took a stroll through the mind of a merc, Gotou was planning to be at the bridge and wait for the shinobi to tire themselves out before moving in and killing the leftovers.

"But, that isn't our concern." Inoichi said sternly, "If Kakashi and his team die, it would be a casualty of war. We can always go to pick up the pieces once our mission is done."

"What is our mission then Inoichi-sensei?" Amaru asked knowing Torunai wouldn't be half as nice.

"You are going to raid Gotou's home and take everything of value, if the toad is there you are to assassinate him and take his head." Shikaku said in a flat voice.

The girls only nodded and went to a side street to change back into themselves and dress for the mission. Once they were done they made their way to Gotou's home while their sensei made their way to the factory.

Gotou's home was abandoned but that didn't stop the girls from being cautious. Torunai pulled a piece of paper with a seal out and handed it to Amaru. Amaru wrapped it around her wrist and shimmered out of view. Torunai sent chakra to her own thermal seals and also shimmered out of view.

Silently the girls made their way into the house via one of the third floor windows. Torunai sent a chakra pulse through the house, when it came back it confirmed that no-one was home. Taking only a moment of relief she and Amaru split up and took everything of value. The raid took them just over an hour. Torunai sealed everything in her belt and the girls made their way to the edge of town where they would meet with their sensei.

"Trouble at the bridge…" a voice said the girls were swept of their feet.

"What kind of trouble?" Torunai asked Chouza who was carrying her.

"The town's folk somehow got it in their heads to take on the merc with farm tools and a single crossbow." Chouza said and felt Torunai turn to get ready to run next to him, he let her go.

Across from them Amaru was also running on her own now. They made it to the bridge where a man dressed in black and mist camouflage just killed a hobbit with a bad attitude. The mercs laughed and threatened to go into town. A single arrow didn't seem to deter them from their plan. But that was where Torunai game in. She jumped over the crowd and flooded the one side of the bridge with over a hundred copies of herself. The mercs turned tail and ran.

Kakashi wore a scowl when he saw the Ino-Shika-Chou trio walk out of the see of red heads. They exchanged pleasantries while Torunai and Amaru went to heal Sasuke and Sai. Amaru took Sasuke for obvious reasons, none of them related to love. Torunai finished with Sai and went to Zabuza.

"No, I don't deserve to be saved kid," Zabuza said sounding defeated. "Do you think you can carry my to my subordinate?" Torunai nodded.

After putting Zabuza down Torunai steeled herself as she watch the life drain out of Zabuza's eyes. She could save him, but it was clear that he didn't want to be saved. Amaru, once she finished with Sasuke, came and stood behind Torunai and placed a hand on her shoulder. Their sensei smiled and made their decision, they were definitely ready for chuunin.

The five of them said their goodbyes and made their way back to Konoha, Torunai inquired why Kakashi looked mad with their arrival, Inoichi told them about shinobi pride and how one team shouldn't interfere with another's mission, but insured them that they didn't interfere and that Kakashi was being a douche.

When they reached the village, Torunai emptied her belt of everything they gathered on the mission and handed them to the Hokage's assistant who began sorting threw it. The Hokage dismissed the girls and turned to the jounin.

"This mission was an S-ranked infiltration/salvage mission, where do the girls lie in your opinion?" The village leader asked the men with a stern voice.

"They went above and beyond what we expected," Inoichi said turning to his colleagues, "They are chuunin level beyond a doubt and we all agree on that."

"I see," the Hokage turned to his assistant, who gave him a nod, "The items they gathered would be considered B-rank. I'll take your vote into account and let you know in the morning."

**The next morning**

Torunai and Amaru were shocked when Anko led them, not to the mission office, but the Hokage's private office. The normally chatty Anko was surprisingly tight lipped and every time the girls asked what was going on she just shushed them and told them to wait and see. Soon the office was full of all the sensei who taught them and even the ones that just supervised them on occasion.

"Welcome one and all," the Hokage started then lit his pipe and turned to the girls. "Now I'm sure you girls are wondering why you are here." They nodded in response. "Remember when you were on that mission to find out how many participants would be arriving for the chuunin exam?"

"Yes Hokage-sama," they answered in unison.

"Since that day I've been trying to find a way to promote you to full chuunin, instead of what you are now, special-chuunin." The Hokage paused. "I considered multiple options, having you take the chuunin exams with a member on the reserve list, but there aren't any. I considered a separate test under a controlled environment, like we do with the academy teachers, but that could take years to set up." The Hokage let the information sink.

"But then I remembered a custom we had before the chuunin exams were implemented, back when the sannin were young and naïve. That custom being a field promotion, I talked to your various sensei and told them to test you out in the field if the opportunity arise." The Hokage took a drag on his pipe,

"The medical squad and Hana were impressed by your performance under pressure during that Inuzuka incident up in Fang country. And yesterday Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza informed me about your infiltration skills, hiding in plain sight in wave. And finally my assistant informed me that the items you recovered in Gotou's house had the value of three S-ranked missions. Ibiki also informed me about the various mock assassination tests you went through and passed.

"Now I will put it to a vote," the Hokage said peering at the gathered older shinobi. "Who here votes to promote these girls to the rank of full chuunin, please raise your hands." All the older shinobi raised their hands as one.

"It's unanimous, welcome to the higher ranks of shinobi, Uzumaki Torunai and Amaru. You can report to Anko for your next mission in two weeks. Take this time to rest and update your files. You can collect your jackets at the chuunin office down the hall."

The girls were speechless. They couldn't picture this situation even if they tried. After collecting their jackets the girls went to celebrate the night at the onsen, the same one they had to clean many times before.

**Two weeks later**

Amaru and Torunai were wide eyed after meeting with Anko. Anko was chosen by the Hokage to lead the chuunin exams and she chose to personally supervise the second test. But that wasn't why they were wide eyed, Anko told them to help her, first with checking the waivers then to go to the tower and wait for the participants.

After receiving their orders the girls went their separate ways, Amaru went to the hospital to check up on one of the patients she took a liking to, while Torunai walked through the streets.

After some time Torunai heard a commotion from one of the side streets. As she turned the corner she noticed that Konohamaru was being held up by a boy in pajamas. Next to the boy was the girl who showed them around Suna and in the tree behind them Torunai felt the presence of evil.

"You're not even here a day and you're already making trouble." Torunai said making herself known. Temari's eyes stretched wide.

"And who the fuck are you?" the boy said rudely.

"I'm a chuunin from this village and that annoying brat you're holding could cause a war between the allied nations." Torunai said lifting her intent but directing it towards the tree where the evil presence were. "He is the Hokage's grandson."

Sakura came around the corner at that exact same time. Torunai knew that she should dissolve this quickly.

"Tell your teammate to control himself and the three of you won't be expelled from the exams."

"Three…" Temari said and only then noticed Gaara's presence. "Thank you for the second chance Torunai-san." Temari grabbed Kankuro's ear and soon Gaara followed them.

"Why did you lie to them Torunai-chan?" Sakura asked while she helped Konohamaru up.

"I didn't, Amaru and I got a field promotion two weeks ago." Torunai said while she performed the shousen-jutsu to check for any broken bones in Konohamaru. "Scram brat or I'm telling your grandpa you were trying to sneak into the women's onsen again." Konohamaru and his friends bolted.

"So you're going to be in the chuunin exams in a week? I heard all the rookies were nominated yesterday." Torunai asked and as an after thought, "I was going to Ichiraku's for lunch, they got diet ramen, want to come?"

"Yeah," Sakura smiled, she couldn't help but think of that little girl in Wave when she saw Torunai, "Kakashi-sensei told us we could choose to take it, I'm not really sure I want to though."

"Amaru and I would've been in the exam if we had a third teammate." Torunai said as she held the drapes for Sakura to enter. "One pork ramen and a diet ramen please," Torunai asked the girl behind the counter.

"As I was saying we would've been part of the exam, but the Hokage couldn't find a third member, so our sensei set up some tests while we were on missions. When we got back from the last one, we got promoted."

"Um, Torunai-chan, if you got were nominated for the chuunin exam would you go for it?" Sakura asked stirring her ramen.

"In the blink of an eye, at first I didn't want to except that I was just made chuunin, so I went to the Hokage and asked for all the reports that got me promoted. I was trying to find anything that would allow me to be in the exams. Unfortunately the reports were so detailed that not even I could find a reason not to promote Amaru and myself." Torunai paused to take a bite of ramen.

"If you want my opinion, take the exam and proof that you are ready for the next level. And just between you and me, I think you deserve to be chuunin more than I do."

Once they were done eating, Sakura thanked Torunai and made her way home. On the outside Torunai was calm and collected, but inside she was doing a happy-kitty-dance. Unfortunately it didn't last long as the red-haired Suna-nin from before walked up to her.

"Can I help you, Gaara was it?" Torunai said highly on edge.

"Mother wants to meet you." Gaara said a confused look on his face. "Mother didn't scream when she said it, it makes me worried."

"Tell your…" Torunai began but then their eyes met. "Tell your 'mother' I don't like boys." Torunai then disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The first jutsu they learned as chuunin.

**A week later**

Amaru and Torunai stood on top of the academy in their thermal-optic camouflage and holding a seal similar to the Yamanaka mind jutsu. It was made clear that none of the gennin must see them but they should cast a jutsu to unnerve the approaching gennin. Anko was sitting behind them in a lounge chair enjoying dango and red bean paste.

When the last of the gennin, Sakura's team, entered the girls ended their jutsu and fell back. The chakra seal on Amaru disappeared about ten minutes prior. Both girls were exhausted.

"Hey, it isn't my fault your killing intent were too weak, we need them on edge to try and avoid preliminary matches during my phase of the exam." Anko said before throwing the girls each a soldier pill. "Go get replenished at the hospital and meet me outside room 301's window in an hour."

The girls took the pills that gave them just enough energy to get to the hospital and get a chakra-jumpstart. They then went to Ichiraku's to get something to eat and replace their energy. Both girls had at least ten bowls before they made their way to the academy. The girls had a massive sweat-drop down the back of their heads when they saw Anko admiring a banner she made, the banner read:

_**Second Examiner**_

_**Mitarashi Anko**_

_**Deadly, Sexy and Single**_

"Just in time," Anko smirked, "When this timer goes off, launch me through the front window of room 301."

Torunai noticed the cord tied to the trees, making an impromptu slingshot. Amaru was the one that noticed the pin way at the back. They shared a look and worked together to get the extremely tight cord to the mark then hauled Anko's rolled up body to the center of the cords.

When the alarm rang Torunai kicked the pin and Anko was sent flying through the window. The girls quickly jumped to the window to eaves drop on the gennin reaction to Anko's entrance. They sighed when they heard that twenty-eight teams passed. Anko told the gennin to meet her at the forest of death early the next morning, only she used the term 'Training Ground 44'.

The next morning Amaru and Torunai were in disguise, nothing fancy, dyed hair and Inuzuka clan marks on their cheeks. The disguise was actually Hana's idea, a way to mess with Kiba's head, and to authenticate the illusion, Hana barrowed them two of the dogs they saved on their medical evaluation mission,

Anko explained the test and handed out waivers to exempt Konoha of any deaths that might occur during the test. Anko nodded at the two girls who drew the curtain around the small shelter and went inside.

When Anko announced to the gennin that they should 'get their asses moving', Torunai and Amaru exchanged quick game of rock-paper-scissors, to see who would check the waivers and who would pass out the scrolls. Torunai lost, a sign that something bad was about to happen, and was stuck on waivers.

Several names stuck in Torunai's head as she read through the waivers before nodding at Amaru. One in particular caught her attention more then the rest, Uzumaki Karin, a kunoichi from Kusa. It took all Torunai's will power to remain stoic.

After the waivers were handed in and the teams received their scrolls Anko directed several chuunin, with Amaru and Torunai to lead the gennin to the 44 gates around the fence. It was a pure coincidence that Torunai got Karin's team as it allowed her to study the other girl.

When the word was given the gennin all ran into the forest, Torunai and Amaru met up at the main gate where Anko was waiting with Hana. They gave Hana the nin-dogs and used a chakra pulse to dislodge the dye and war paint to become their normal selves. Anko dismissed them and they left with a swirl of leaves to go to the tower and wait for the teams to file in.

The first team to arrive was Gaara's team four hours into the test. A random chuunin appeared out of the scrolls and allowed them to pass. Next was Hinata's team two hours later. The last teams to enter was Sakura's and another team from Konoha, they all gave Torunai a chill up her spine. Iruka appeared behind Torunai and cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Anko-san wants you and Amaru to get the remaining teams out of the forest. She said that this will allow you to locate them." Iruka handed Torunai the waivers of the teams that didn't make it to the tower and still had a pulse. The list was surprisingly thin, twenty people.

Amaru walked up the wall to stand next to Amaru. They did the seals Anko had them practice for the past week and on the waivers a small chakra dot appeared along with a map. The girls sped through the list until they reached the last waiver.

"Here she is again," Torunai said and Amaru looked over her shoulder.

"Uzumaki Karin?" Amaru read, "Do you think…"

"I don't know and I'm scared to use 'it' to see if she really is. I know I sometimes act like Anko-san, but that's just it. Its all an act."

"Isn't there another way?" Amaru asked as they jumped through the trees.

"Not without Tsunade-sama," Torunai said as they reached the spot where Karin was.

"Uzumaki Karin?" Torunai asked dropping next to the girl.

"Y-yes," the girl answered.

"Where are your teammates?" Torunai began but paused, "You are injured."

"My teammates broke my bones and left me here to be raped or killed. Bastards got killed by a Suna team soon after they left."

"We were tasked to clear the forest as the test is done. Will you come with us? We can help you at the hospital."

Karin seemed to way her options but finally she agreed. Torunai used some chakra to drop her clip as she reached down to pick Karin up. She smiled as Karin picked it up and offered it back to her, Torunai knew this might be wrong but she had to know.

"Keep it with you until we reach the hospital, I don't want to lose it in this forest." Karin placed the clip in her hair and Torunai saw the tell signs of chakra flowing between them, Karin also seemed to notice this.

"You are also an Uzumaki?" she asked as they reached the end of the forest.

"What makes you say that?" Torunai asked innocently.

"I also have an Uzumaki clip. I just didn't wear it in there. You know that it could've killed me…" Karin was in scolding mode.

"I never said you should wear it, I said keep it for me till we reached the hospital." Torunai smirked as Karin was stunned silent. Amaru only shook her head behind them.

Torunai took Karin to one of the rooms that the hospital reserved for foreign shinobi and started on her injuries personally. Karin gave Torunai a look that said: 'You could've healed me in the forest, damn you'. Torunai gave her a look back that said: 'I hate that place'. Although the words never left their mouths the meanings were clear.

Karin wasn't permitted to leave just yet as her bones needed to heal completely. Being the primary eisei-nin Torunai checked up on Karin every few hours. On the third visit, Torunai noticed her sensei next to her bed.

"You disgraced Kusa with your actions, Karin. You know what that means right?" the burly man asked.

"It means that I'm banished, since I used my three chances." Karin snapped back.

"You can be glad that you are in a different county, or else it would've been death." Torunai hearing this stepped in.

"No need for threats, shinobi-san." Torunai said her golden eyes getting a slight glow. "I'm sure that, since you banished her, she's free to join another country right?" the jounin back off from the glowing eyed girl.

"I-in essence yes," the man gulped, Torunai gave a low whistle and an ANBU arrived.

"Please guard this girl while I go see the Hokage." The ANBU nodded and just looked at the jounin who disappeared in a hurry. "Karin-san would you like to join Konoha?" Torunai asked the girl. She replied with a nod.

Amaru met Torunai outside the room and told her that Anko wanted to see them at the Hokage's office for the debriefing. Torunai agreed and they made their way via rooftop to the Hokage's office.

Once the debriefing was done Torunai turned to the Hokage and told him what transpired in the hospital room with Karin, she also told the Hokage that Karin was indeed an Uzumaki. Anko's eyes stretched at that but she kept quiet until the Hokage turned to her.

"I trust Torunai's judgment, and if she takes responsibility, and sponsorship for this girl, I back her up." Anko said then turned to Amaru who nodded, "And it seems Amaru stands by her teammate."

"Then it's settled, Uzumaki Karin, formally of Kusa, can join Konoha if she agrees to the probation period of three months under the sponsorship of Uzumaki Torunai."

The Hokage stamped an official document and handed it to Torunai who would take it to Karin to get it signed.

**End of chapter**

**No predictions for the next chapter and I thank everyone who reviewed, followed and marked my story amongst their favorites.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The first two phases of the chuunin exams are done, now we find ourselves with a month free time and the finals around the corner.**

Chapter 4

Torunai walked into the hospital after Anko told her and Amaru to rest up for the next month. Amaru had asked for a week leave to go gather some rare herbs she read about in a medical journal and Anko gave it to her.

With a sigh Torunai picked up the register at the front desk and checked if she knew anyone on it, not being on the active hospital roster she could pick and choose who she went to see, a perk of being a field eisei-nin. She recognized a few names, and one she wished she didn't.

Tenten, who was with her at the orphanage and now worked part time at one of the weapon shops, was on a week's bed rest after her preliminary round with the Suna-kunoichi, Temari. Hinata had several internal wounds courtesy of her cousin Neji. Lee's left arm and leg was crushed in such a way that only Tsunade could fix it. Sai was in ICU with chakra exhaustion and lastly Sasuke was fighting with a hickey.

Torunai picked up Tenten's chart and proceeded to her room. When she reached the room she noticed someone standing there, an older version of Lee perhaps? Torunai walked up to him and cleared her throat.

"Can I help you young maiden? I was told that Tenten-san needed her rest." The older Lee said in a loud whisper.

"I am aware of that, shinobi-san," Torunai withdrew her medical license from her back pouch, "I am here to check on her progress, according to the chart no eisei-nin was here for two hours. That and I know her personally."

The older Lee stood aside and watched as the young girl performed the shousen-jutsu. She smiled as she updated the chart. The older Lee raised an extremely bushy brow.

"Tenten-chan's spine is completely healed, even if it would still hurt for a few days, the bruises formed scabs that should fall of in a day or two. I assume she is your student…" Torunai left an opening for the man to introduce himself.

"Apologies, I am Konoha's beautiful green beast, Maito Gai." The older Lee smiled.

Torunai bid him goodbye and went to get another chart, this time Hinata's. Torunai sighed when she went over the list of internal injuries, Torunai was confident she could heal all of them except for the one around Hinata's heart. When Torunai reached the room the girl was awake and talking to a young girl about three years younger then Torunai.

"Hinata," Torunai said as she reached the girl's bed. "You shouldn't be moving around so much, your insides needs time to heal."

"Torunai-chan?" Hinata exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"You know her, oneechan?" the little girl asked wide eyed.

"We wrote the gennin exam together, and now I'm here for Hinata-chan's session." Torunai answered then added, "I'm Uzumaki Torunai."

"Should I go?" the girl asked not sure about the procedure.

"No, you can stay. I'm a chuunin level eisei-nin. I don't need to strip her to do the healing session." Hinata's normal color returned to her face.

"And the nurses?" Hinata asked curiously remembering they had her stripped down.

"All of them are civilians with little chakra knowledge, they normally just do diagnostics."

Torunai smiled as the little girl's eyes shifted into the Hyuuga doujutsu and followed her chakra as it added a layer of healing onto the internal organs. Torunai avoided the heart for most of the session, leaving it for last. With a sigh of content Torunai moved to the heart and did her best to work around the beating organ, but her best wasn't enough as it wouldn't heal correctly.

"What about neechan's heart?" the little Hyuuga asked.

"HANABI-CHAN!" Hinata shouted out in shock then added more mildly, "Torunai-chan did plenty."

"It's okay Hinata," Torunai smiled then turned to Hanabi. "Hanabi-chan, I have a tremendous load of chakra in my system and it feels like I'm in a constant tug-o-war to control it. To work on such a delicate organ like the heart you need absolute control over your chakra, one spike and I could kill someone. What I did was calm the symptoms so that someone with better chakra control can heal it."

"Why?" Hanabi asked and both Hinata and Hanabi looked at Torunai expectantly. Torunai had a far away look in her eyes, before she shook her head.

"I rather not talk about it." Torunai said sternly, "Now I have some other people I need to go see. It was nice meeting you Hanabi-chan, and I hope you get well soon Hinata-chan." Torunai smiled then walked out the room.

Torunai made her way to Lee's room, knowing she won't be able to fix him up, but she could alleviate some of the pain he must be going through. She made it to outside the door when she saw a light of a rising sun emitting from under the door and wisely chose to skip Lee's room for the now. And proceed to Sai's room.

"What are you still doing here Sai?" Torunai asked seeing the pale boy draw. "You seem to have a good jumpstart on your chakra if you have strength to sit up."

"But I don't have a…" Sai started when Torunai pulled a form from one of her seals.

"Here is a release form, take it to the nurses' station and get yourself out of here." Torunai noticed he was hesitant but took the form none the less, his behavior somehow screamed Sasuke, and Torunai really didn't want to go see him.

Torunai made her way down the hall to the critical room where Sasuke was housed. Standing guard at his door was two ANBU. Torunai took out her medical license before the ANBU could stop her and went into the room without a word.

She formed the seals for the shousen-jutsu but paused when she saw the seal array on Sasuke's neck. From what she could gather it was a will powered seal designed to contain something. That something, Torunai noticed, were three black tomoe arranged like the sharingan.

Torunai turned to the chart and read the report. It said that Sasuke was knocked unconscious when the containment seal was placed around the curse seal on his neck. He was on fluids until his expectant wake up in two days. She turned when she felt a presence behind her.

"Kakashi-san, you almost scared me for a moment." Torunai said bravely while her heart was pounding like an African drum. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, there were strict orders that Sasuke wasn't allowed to see anyone but…" Kakashi started before Torunai interrupted him.

"Medical staff and his sensei, Hatake Kakashi, I read the file and for your information I am a chuunin level eisei-nin." Torunai felt a rage of power coming from her seal. She was thankful for the boost but knew better.

"I see," Kakashi said holding his hand out expectantly. With a sigh she handed Kakashi her medical license.

Torunai turned and performed the shousen-jutsu on Sasuke, a simple diagnostic.

"His vitals are getting stronger. If it keeps jumping like this I wager he'll wake up sooner then expected." Torunai said out loud then added, "Good job on the seal too, it's holding nicely."

Torunai filled in the progress report and left the room, but not before giving Kakashi the stink eye. The man just rubbed her the wrong way. She got a pervert vibe from him just like Konohamaru's tutor, Ebisu.

She returned to Lee's room where the light was gone, thankfully. She entered the room and saw Gaara there. Her eyes gave a sudden glow. She had read the report that Gaara uses sand. She searched for a water source to at least slow the sand down.

"You aren't meant to be here, Gaara-san," Torunai said as she located one and formed the seals mentally like Anko showed her months ago. "Lee needs his rest if he's to recover."

"Mother wants his blood." Gaara said in a monotone.

"And I want a girlfriend," Torunai said then thought of something, "Is your dear mommy so weak that she would take out a defenseless guy? Wouldn't she rather wait till he can defend himself?" Gaara was silent for a moment.

"What you said makes sense. Mother is willing to wait till he recovers." Gaara then walked out the room.

Torunai waited until Gaara's chakra disappeared from the hospital before she ran a diagnostic on Lee and found him unharmed, at least from this encounter. She then shifted her chakra from diagnostics to healing and started to treat the symptoms of his previous injury. The actual injury was beyond her level of chakra control.

"One last stop, then I can go back to the apartment and speak to 'it' inside me." Torunai said to the sleeping Lee knowing he wouldn't hear her.

Torunai walked into Karin's room, the girl was in a meditative pose and was finally wearing her own Uzumaki clip, Torunai noticed that it was blue, compared to her golden one. Waiting a few moments for Karin to return to her body, Torunai stepped forward.

"How are you feeling?" Torunai asked when Karin acknowledged her presence.

"You're the doctor," Karin said with a smile.

"Oh I know your charts, but that doesn't tell how you feel." Torunai threw back.

"Better I guess," Karin said, "I still have pain standing up, but it's getting better."

"Your clip, its blue?" Torunai said, "I thought it would be the same as mine."

"We're not from the same branch," Karin started then took her clip out, "There are four branches, the sensor specific branch, that's me. We can manipulate our chakra to find anyone anywhere and hide ourselves. Then there is the chakra weapon branch. That would be you. Once you get a grip on your chakra I'll say you'd be able to form your chakra into any weapon you could wield." Torunai pulled a face, "If you wanted to."

"There's also the seal branch," Karin continued, "They were able to create seals by using only their chakra. And lastly there is the nine element branch. They were able to use any jutsu, seals, you name it, they could do it. They were even able to use kekei genkai specific techniques if they took the time to learn them."

Torunai ran a scan and ensured Karin would recover soon. She then bid the girl goodbye and went home to meditate. She hasn't been inside her seal since that one time during the bunny-hunt.

Torunai concentrated on her chakra, trying to find any that wasn't her own. After about ten minutes she found it. Forcing her conscience towards the foreign chakra Torunai felt herself slip into it. When she opened her eyes she was standing in front of the cage that held the Kyuubi. The light she created was still in place and she could hear the fox giggling.

"So you came again?" the Kyuubi mocked. "Let me guess, you need my chakra?"

"No information," Torunai said not impressed with the fox's tone. "Is there a bijuu that can control sand?"

"Get the fuck out of here!" the Kyuubi growled, "Unless you want some of this…" the Kyuubi's chakra seeped out of the cage and started to surround Torunai. "You can feel the rage, the power. I can see it in your eyes. You are tempted to take it. So take it you pathetic monkey."

"No!" Torunai shouted once she got over the thrill of the evil chakra. "Your chakra is evil, I don't need it, and I don't want it."

The Kyuubi laughed as Torunai faded out of her own mind thinking that it would only be a matter of time before she could weaken the seal enough to take over the girl's body, her vulpine eyes drifted to a dark corner where a flash of gold disappeared as well.

**Next day**

Torunai woke with a start the morning embers hit her eyes the next morning. She took some time to study her surroundings. She slapped herself when she remembered she went to sleep on her roof the night before. She did that to avoid the nightmares, too bad it didn't work.

Torunai went down to shower and get dressed. Scanning her closet Torunai decided to dress casually, it's not like she was planning on getting rough. She would take a stroll through Konoha, maybe get a bite to eat and go visit Tenten and Karin in the hospital as a guest for a change. Oh and go speak with Inoichi-sensei about the nightmares that returned.

Her plan in place Torunai made herself a light breakfast of nothing fancy or traditional just a few slices of toast and some tea. When Torunai reached the door she went for her seal-belt but stopped suddenly.

With a smile Torunai unsealed the needle Anko gave her in that first meeting. She pierced her finger and felt the chakra move into the needle. She then took of her skirt and threaded two storage seals into the fabric, one to hold her money pouch, the other to hold a few kunai. When she was done she sealed the objects into her skirt, put the skirt back on and walked out the door.

Not even a block away from her apartment she caught a whiff of roasted almonds and cherry blossoms. Turning the corner she noticed a flash of pink hair, she threw her plans in the wind and walked towards Sakura, who was looking blue.

"Why so glum?" Torunai asked the older girl. "And shouldn't you be training, I heard you won your match against Ino."

"Kakashi-sensei said he's going to train Sasuke-kun and got a closet pervert to train me." Sakura turned towards Torunai.

"What if I help you?" Torunai smiled, "I mean I was just going to walk around like a zombie through Konoha, might as well do something useful."

"You'd do that for me?" Sakura's eyes lid up then she gave the smaller girl a hug.

"Before you thank me you should know I'm not that good either, but no one should be blown off to boost someone else's ego." Torunai said sternly, "So let's go to Ichiraku's and you can tell me where you stand. In your training that is."

Torunai wasn't really hungry but Sakura looked malnourished from one or another diet, so she'll need the energy. Torunai ordered two bowls of Pork ramen, when it was served she turned to Sakura expectantly.

"So tell me what you've learned physically since you left the academy." Torunai said switching to 'doctor mode'.

"In wave Kakashi-sensei taught us tree walking." Sakura said then turned to Torunai who showed her to go on. Sakura shook her head.

"Seriously?" Torunai asked with a raised brow. "You were on a team for five months and all you were taught was tree climbing? How did you survive the 'forest-of-death' and still managed to win your match against Ino?" here Sakura seemed embarrassed.

"It doesn't matter. It just means I can teach you everything I know without feeling too dumb." Torunai said then laughed.

After their meeting Torunai took Sakura to the onsen, when she saw Ebisu there she gave him a good kick in the groin before taking Sakura inside where it would be more private. Torunai chose a pool she knew no one uses, the pool where she Anko and Amaru frequented.

"I brought you here so that we can work on water walking. You might've noticed that this pool is isolated." Sakura nodded, "The reason is simple. It's too hot for most people to handle. That and Anko-san threatened to 'punt the bitch who sits in her pool'."

Torunai molded her chakra and walked over the surface of the water and sat cross-legged in the centre.

"The concept is easy enough, while the tree-walking focused on gathering your chakra to stick to the tree's surface, the water-walking will test your ability to release a chakra in random intervals to stay afloat. The hot water will serve as motivation."

Sakura took a deep breath then gathered her chakra to her feet. She managed to stick one foot to the water surface but when she put her other foot there the water shifted and she fell in. Torunai sighed then went to help Sakura out of the water.

"I know it's hard, it took me a few hours to get used to the chakra control needed and about a week to master. We'll work on this until lunch then we'll go and work on your taijutsu." Torunai smiled then stood on the water's edge offering a hand to Sakura.

When lunch time came around, Sakura had the necessary chakra control down, but was still far from mastering it, more then once Torunai replenished Sakura's chakra. She almost, almost, regretted taking Sakura as a temporary student, but in the end, being around the pinkette took Torunai's mind of the nightmares.

The girls went to the dango shop for lunch, this was for two reasons, one was obviously to get something to eat, the other was that the shop Tenten worked at temporary was around the corner and Sakura needed to turn from diet-skinny to sport-skinny and that meant some light weights.

After a full serving of dango they went to the shop where Torunai scanned the isles. She found the stuff she was looking for in one of the middle isles, a pair of weights that worked on not only the muscles, but the chakra system too.

"Sakura, you need to wear these for," Torunai said after she paid for the weights, "let's say the next month at least. If you want to continue wearing them after that feel free."

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked. "I don't mean just the weights, but the training too."

"Lets just say I'm bored," Torunai smiled, "I've been a chuunin for a few weeks. My teammate left yesterday morning to go gather herbs. I would've probably ended up at the hospital for most of this month."

"I saw you healing Sai in Wave," Sakura said shyly, "Are you an eisei-nin or just a kunoichi that knows medical jutsu?"

"I'm a field eisei-nin, all that means is that I don't have to log hours at the hospital anymore, unless I want to." Torunai smiled. "We're here. Now let's see your taijutsu."

For the next hour Torunai held back, a lot, to test Sakura's taijutsu which was academy standard at best. Torunai also took note of Sakura's muscle movements. They were protesting every movement Sakura made.

"Sakura," Torunai said when they stopped, "Why aren't you listening to your body?"

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"When you fight, you're fighting both yourself and your opponent." Torunai said, "In other words your fighting style doesn't fit. I'm not too keen on set styles but I'd say if you take the basics of Zangan-Ryu and build on it you could become a deadly kunoichi, especially with your strength."

"So where can I find the basics?" Sakura asked after thinking it over. "I want to get stronger."

"Come sit here for a moment Sakura." Torunai sat down. Sakura complied. "Tell me, why do you want to get stronger?"

"I realized I was the weakest member of our team. When they needed me the most I couldn't handle it. I was just lucky I got through the two tests and beat Ino. I want to be stronger so that I don't need to be protected all of the time."

"Look over there for a moment," Torunai pointed towards the Hokage monument. "Those four up there were the best when they were in their prime. The Shodaime created this village and protected it both from the outside and from within. When Madara tried to bring Konoha down he fought with him and with the cost of his life imprisoned Madara."

"And him," Torunai pointed towards the Nidaime, "He took over when his brother died, not because it was family, but because he was the strongest and had what the Sandaime calls 'the will of fire'."

"The Sandaime is next. He is known as the 'professor' there isn't a shinobi in this village alive that knows more jutsu then he does." Torunai smiled before turning to the last face. "The last face up there became Hokage after he showed great prowess in the field during the last war. With a single jutsu he single handedly defeated a whole platoon of Iwa shinobi." Torunai lost her smile after that.

"While he was Hokage he did many great things, he might even have thought of starting a family, unfortunately the Kyuubi appeared at that time and he sacrificed his live to stop it."

"I know all this," Sakura said not sure where the history lesson was going.

"The point to this story is that everyone in Konoha is connected. Yes we fight in teams of three or four, but our little groups also fight for this village." Torunai turned to Sakura. "Getting stronger for a single person is plenty, but getting strong for every one is much harder. All the Hokage knew this and still took the job. Don't just get strong for your team Sakura, get strong for all your friends, your family and those precious to you. Only then will you truly be strong."

Torunai got up and helped Sakura up as well. She invited the pink haired girl to the hospital under a double standard, one she was having a ball spending the day together and the other to show her the ins and outs of what an eisei-nin does.

Sakura took an interest after seeing Torunai handle a few minor civilian cases, but her interest peaked after Torunai went on to the shinobi. She first visited Lee, who was awake this time, and performed a layer of healing on his leg and arm where she told Sakura that his condition was out of her current skills. Next they went to Hinata. Torunai performed a scan and told her that Hinata's condition was stable.

Tenten was awake when the girls entered the room, but she was looking beyond bored, Torunai, who picked up her seal belt, handed Tenten the restore kit and a few blunt kunai to keep her busy, but warned her not to move around too often after she ran a scan.

The last person on the list was Karin. Torunai performed a scan and made a note that she was ready to start her rehabilitation. They exchanged jokes and had a good time. After they left Torunai explained the circumstances Karin found herself in, banned from her village and needing to make a fresh start. They arranged to meet the next day at the onsen and went their separate ways.

When Sakura left Torunai made her way towards Anko's home, her goal was to get the basics of the Zangan-Ryu style and as a ruse she took dango and some ingredients to cook Anko dinner.

Anko was surprised to see Torunai, as could be expected and after a hardy meal she agreed to get the basics from Konoha's leading taijutsu expert, but assured Torunai that dinner would be on her for a week.

"So why do you want this style anyway, it is so different from your own." Anko asked as she took a beer from her fridge.

"I'm helping someone train for the chuunin exam, and her sensei blew her of to focus on his other student." Torunai avoided names but knew that Anko knew who she was talking about. If she didn't then the blush was a dead giveaway.

"You also said that you had that nightmare again, do you want to talk about it?" Anko asked dropping her own goofy act, but Torunai shook her head. "You know I'm here for you, you are like the annoying brat sister I never had."

**A week later**

Torunai continued to tutor Sakura over the course of the week, working on chakra control and increasing her reserves in the mornings. Increasing her strength and working on her taijutsu in the afternoon and in the evenings doing rounds in the hospital.

It was on this day when Tenten and Karin were released, Torunai invited them all to her house for dinner and to welcome Amaru back from her mini trip. Torunai also found that her fascination with the pink haired girl was steadily decreasing. The conversation around the table was a pleasant chatter until Karin dropped a bomb.

"So Torunai, have you met the clan summons yet?" Karin asked casually.

"No, but I read about them though." Torunai said putting down her sticks, "Personally I don't think they would be very well appreciated around Konoha."

The other girls looked between the two red-heads trying to figure them out.

"What's wrong with foxes, they are a strong ally to have." Karin paused when all eyes turned onto her. Torunai saved her from the impending verbal bashing.

"In two week's time, eleven years ago, the Kyuubi went on a rampage just outside of our village. We lost many of our fine shinobi that day, along with the Yondaime Hokage, who sacrificed his life to seal the Kyuubi into a baby." Torunai looked around the table.

"Seriously, you all thought he could kill a monster made of pure evil chakra?" all the girls but Karin looked away embarrassed. "Anyway when I was in the orphanage I noticed some of the matrons hurting little kits."

"They hurt kids!" Sakura shouted.

"No, not kids, kits, in other words fox babies." Torunai said. "Being young and naïve I placed my own body between the matrons and the kits. After the beating stopped I was kicked out and the kits killed."

Amaru, Tenten and Karin all figured out the connection between the story and Torunai's silent past. Sakura with all her book smarts, couldn't piece it together. Not that Torunai did anything to encourage her.

"I see," Karin said breaking the silence, "So because of the Kyuubi running rampant the villagers don't like foxes. Got it." that broke the tension and the girls laughed.

**Chuunin Exam Finals**

Torunai and Amaru were placed standing on the roof of the stadium in the centre of Konoha. Down below the finalists were standing waiting for the people to file in. Sakura, Shino and Shikamaru were standing closer together, while the Suna siblings stood… relatively close. Neji stood alone and there was no sign of Sasuke. The last contestant, Dosu of Oto, was found dead a week ago. That meant that the contest was even.

Karin was sitting in the crowd with Hinata. After they were introduced they became good friends. One thing bothered Torunai though. She couldn't find Sai since she had him discharged from the hospital.

Torunai send chakra to her eyes giving it a feint glow, she scanned the crowd for any sign of trouble makers. She used the shunshin when her eye caught sight of trouble, appearing behind the guy and produced a kunai. The message was clear, settle down or leave. Torunai then returned to her post.

The Hokage did the opening speech, keeping it simple and short before the first match was called, Hyuuga Neji vs. Haruno Sakura. In the match Neji was a worthy opponent but he had a superiority complex about him. The match was intense, but in the end Sakura lost when Neji pulled out a trump card.

Sasuke was given leeway and his match was postponed to the end. Torunai knew that if it would've been her then she would've been disqualified. Her 'creep' radar went of when Kankuro quit before his match started. So the next match was called, Temari vs. Shikamaru. Torunai watched as Shikamaru was about to quit but bumped out of the competitor's box by both Sakura and Shino.

The match didn't have much action, but what it lacked in movement it made up with strategy. Sasuke's match was up next but he wasn't there yet so his match was postponed even further. Torunai grit her teeth.

When Sasuke finally showed up, a second before being completely disqualified, the crowd roared with excitement. Torunai could actually feel the chatter under her feet. During the match Torunai saw increased movement from the spectators. Something was up, that much she could tell, but she couldn't tell what it was.

Giving a low whistle over the COM-piece on her neck, the signal Anko said would warrant investigation. She saw several ANBU move between the crowd and she knew they would notice the unrest some of the spectators shared.

There was a sudden spike of evil chakra radiating from the arena floor, Torunai turned her head and saw the ball that surrounded Gaara. Focusing chakra to her ears she heard a list of seals. Figuring out the pattern Torunai figured it must be some kind of forced sleep technique. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a thousand birds chirping at the same time. Her eyes followed Sasuke as he charged Gaara's dome with a sphere made of lightning chakra.

Just after the attack landed Torunai felt the effects of a genjutsu try to take a hold of her. She spared Amaru a glance and the two girls combined their chakra, Torunai her own, Amaru with the assisted seal, to dispel the wide area genjutsu. The Konoha citizens that had prior chakra knowledge were saved while the others were infected by the jutsu.

"Torunai! Amaru! Go after the Suna-gennin!" Anko's voice shouted over the radio. The girls were on their way to protect the crowd at the time.

They got to just outside the wall when the chirping sound was heard again accompanied by a high pitched scream.

"We got deliberate friendly fire," Torunai shouted over her radio, "Uchiha Sasuke used the chidori on fellow Konoha gennin, Haruno Sakura."

"Chuunin Uzumaki Torunai will continue pursuit, while I, chuunin Amaru administer aid to gennin Sakura." Amaru added before assuring Torunai that she would do everything in her power to stabilize Sakura.

Torunai took of like the wind. She skipped a battle between Kankuro and Shino, making sure to radio it in. She waved at Asuma and Shikamaru as she sprinted pass them. Soon she could feel the evil chakra, she increased her speed. She saw when Sasuke slumped down from chakra exhaustion and made sure to spit on him on her way to the growing tanuki.

Gathering her chakra into her hair clip, Torunai made the five seals to summon. She placed her hand on a tree as she passed it to make a contact point and forced tons of her chakra into the summoning. A golden fox roughly the size of the tanuki appeared, sensing the severity of the situation it didn't object to being summoned.

"I finally got the chance to get out!" the tanuki shouted. Turning its head it noticed Torunai. "And I already see someone I want to kill!"

"Kitsune-san, I am Uzumaki Torunai, daughter of Uzumaki Kushina." Torunai addressed the fox, "I apologize for summoning you here in this situation, but there is a bijuu in control of a body made of sand heading towards my home. I think if we can get the jinchuuriki to wake up we stand a better chance."

"My name is Tama," the fox said in a feminine voice, "I will hold the bijuu while you wake the boy up, may I suggest following sleeping beauty's example?" Tama laughed at the look on Torunai's face.

Tama jumped high in the air and came down hard on the tanuki's back pinning it down while Torunai ran to get to Gaara. A thunderous clap was heard throughout the clearing. The sting on his cheek woke Gaara up with a jolt. The shock of both the pain and disbelieve that someone actually reached him made Gaara loose control of his sand construct.

"But I finally got out!" the tanuki whined before his eyes went blank.

Torunai stood over Gaara as if she didn't have a care in the world. Gaara on the other curled in a ball, the sand construct has drained him of his chakra. When Temari and Kankuro showed up to attack Gaara called them of. Shocked the siblings picked up Gaara and tree hopped back home.

When she was sure the siblings were gone Torunai pulled out a kunai and cut the wire holding her up, summoning Tama took almost all her chakra, her slapping Gaara was pure adrenalin. Tama, for her part, shrunk down to a more manageable size and went to Torunai.

"You were remarkable, young Uzumaki." Tama said. "I am honored to be summoned again, although I never met your mother I heard the tales. And on that note may I give you some advice that she would surely give you in this situation?"

"Yes please, no one can tell me much about my mom." Torunai said excited and Tama moved to her head bending her head down to Torunai's ear. Torunai smiled thinking Tama was going to whisper something to her. Torunai screamed when the fox bit her ear hard.

"Don't do that again young lady!" Tama scolded, "You used way too much chakra you could've been killed!" Tama took a breath then smiled, "Now, how did it feel to kick that junchuuriki's ass?"

Torunai couldn't help but laugh. That was how Anko described her mother's behavior as well. Tama helped Torunai to get to Sasuke. She drew a chakra suppression seal on his arm then cuffed him before calling for backup.

"Chuunin Uzumaki Torunai requesting backup!" Torunai said over the radio, "The immediate threat posed by jinchuuriki Gaara has been averted. Gennin Uchiha Sasuke has also been attained for attacking a fellow Konoha gennin."

"This is jounin Yuuhi Kurenai," a voice said over the radio, "Ultimate crises averted in Konoha, what's your status?"

"I used too much chakra and don't have the energy to carry gennin Sasuke back to the village, I can barely stand." Torunai answered back.

"On my way, what should I be looking for?" Kurenai asked, "Chuunin Amaru told me the general direction you took."

"A large pile of sand?" Torunai half laughed.

Kurenai showed up with Kiba in tow. They scanned the area and confirmed it was clear of any enemy shinobi. Kurenai instructed Kiba to carry Sasuke while she took of with Torunai. Kiba scrunched up his nose and picked Sasuke up. As he jumped after his sensei he took some guilty pleasure every time he accidentally bumped Sasuke on a branch.

Torunai was rushed to ICU where they gave her chakra a jumpstart. The eisei-nin determined that Sasuke over used the chidori. Some tried to remove the seal Torunai placed on him but couldn't.

After getting her energy restarted and eating something to restore it to manageable levels, Torunai began doing rounds in the hospital. When she bumped into Amaru, Amaru told her that Sakura was alive but in critical. Karin, it turned out, went above and beyond and got an early admittance to the Konoha forces. Hinata's heart injury was healed completely, but she was in the hospital now for a few broken fingers.

There were a few casualties, but at least Konoha won the battle. As it turned out, Gaara was the trump card, and when he fell, the shinobi of Suna and Oto pulled out. Torunai had to take two soldier pills to stay afloat with the injured so she was relieved when Anko postponed the debriefing for the next afternoon.

**Debriefing**

"Torunai," the Hokage said after Torunai delivered her report, "How did you acquire a summoning contract with the Fox-clans? The last person to openly use them was the Shodaime's wife."

"Was she an Uzumaki, Hokage-sama?" Torunai asked.

"I do not see the relevance."

"The Fox-clans have always been associated with the Uzumaki clan. Every Uzumaki is able to summon them." Torunai said, "To 'sign' the contract an Uzumaki forces their chakra into the Uzumaki clip, after that they can summon foxes at anytime."

"I understand," The Hokage said sagely "You are aware of what happened on your birthday eleven years ago and what is sealed inside of you?" Torunai nodded, "And you know the general feeling this village has towards our vulpine friends?" again Torunai nodded. "Then I urge you to tell me why you summoned a fifty foot golden fox!" the Hokage slumped his head defeated.

"I was bored?" Torunai said but composed herself when the Hokage gave her the look. "I noticed that jinchuuriki Gaara used a forced sleep jutsu and knew that I had no chance of getting up to him with a rampaging bijuu on the loose. I made a quick decision to have a summon hold the tanuki's…"

"Shukaku," the Hokage interrupted Torunai, "The Ichibi is called Shukaku."

"I wanted Tama, to keep Shukaku's attention while I sneaked up on Gaara and slapped him awake." The Hokage nodded and was about to dismiss Torunai when she spoke up again.

"What happened between the Uchiha and Haruno Sakura?" Torunai swallowed hard. "I trained her for the month and consider her a good friend."

"I knew you would ask about her," the Hokage smiled, "I recall an event where you dyed Anko's hair to resemble hers."

"I don't think of Sakura that way anymore," Torunai rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh?" the Hokage asked.

"I got to know the real her over the last month, and I may have placed her on a pedestal she didn't belong. So about what happened…"

"There's no swaying you is there?" Torunai shook her head, "Very well. Witness statements all say she jumped down and tried to restrain Sasuke, saying that he should leave Gaara for the more qualified shinobi. This angered Sasuke and he pierced her stomach with the chidori before throwing her aside and going after Gaara."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Torunai smiled. "I'm sorry Orochimaru escaped, but I'm also glad he did. I heard some of the chuunin say you were preparing to use the shiki-fuuin. You know that would've killed you before I can take over from you."

The Hokage had a sudden cold sweat, but he managed to laugh with the little girl he started to see as a granddaughter. He told Anko he would handle her debriefing personally, this was to avert attention away from her fox summon, true, but he also wanted to chat with the girl.

**End of chapter**

**No predictions for the next chapter. Thank you for everyone who read this story and added it to their favorites/following list. Also thanks for everyone who reviewed, and for the guest review, I hope you got your answer in this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The exams are done as well as the invasion. I know that last chapter felt rushed but then again, Torunai wasn't a contestant in the exams. The Tsunade retrieval arc is next so let's see where it takes us.**

Chapter 5

Torunai walked out of the hospital, exhausted from using the shousen-jutsu as much as she did. She was relieved that Sakura's condition stabilized but felt useless that she couldn't do anything about it.

"You are _that_ girl?" a male voice said from his perch against the wall.

"It depends on what 'that girl' means." Torunai was on instant guard, the man wore a hitai-ate with the kanji for oil on it.

"My apologies, you are Uzumaki Torunai right?" the man said then fought down his urge to put on a show instead he simply stated, "I am Jiraiya of the sannin."

"Tsunade-sama's teammate?" Torunai asked then said, "I'm not particularly impressed with her teammates at this moment. Was there something you wanted 'Jiraiya of the sannin'?"

"Are you aware that the Sandaime is injured from his fight with Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked trying to make conversation.

"I am, I was in the office when he collapsed." Torunai said plainly.

"I was just up to see him and he asked me to go find Tsunade. He wants her to be the next Hokage." Torunai was silent. "I asked him if I could take someone with me to go look for her, he recommended you and your teammate."

"Amaru can't leave the hospital on an extended mission. The head of the hospital assigned her to Haruno Sakura exclusively." Torunai interjected.

"Who would you recommend?"

Torunai and another figure stood at the village's main gate an hour later waiting for Jiraiya to show up, both were in traveling cloaks with the hoods up. They were talking about the upcoming trip and mauling over the information the Hokage gave them, Jiraiya is a super pervert.

They signed themselves out when they caught the sight of white hair. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, as he was curious who the red-headed girl chose, but they both had their hoods up.

"First thing's first," Jiraiya started, "I set the pace for this mission since I have to pay the two of you." two sounds of confirmation was heard, "Secondly, drop your hoods. The mission isn't about stealth, damn it."

The girls dropped the hoods, Torunai was on the left her hair tied into a braid. The other girl had brown hair done up in twin buns. Her features screamed: I know I'm attractive but don't try anything or I'll kill you.

"Jiraiya-san, this is Tenten, she's a weapon mistress and a big fan of Tsunade-sama." Torunai said to which Jiraiya gave a curt nod. "I chose her, because well, I figured a ranged fighter would work well. From the reports the Hokage gave us to prepare, you are a short-range fighter and I'm a medic."

"Interesting, a well rounded bunch." Jiraiya mused while he walked ahead of the girls.

Just over two hours later, at dusk, they arrived at a small town. The girls noticed straight away why the Hokage warned them of Jiraiya's nature. An attractive brunette wearing a very short dressed laughed in their general direction and Jiraiya ran after her like a lost puppy.

When the girls reached the room they would share with Jiraiya, Torunai took out her sealing equipment. Taking out a small vial from the set Torunai mixed it in water before drawing the seal on the floor.

"What's that for?" Tenten asked, she only agreed to come because Torunai said she'll get her started on medical training.

"Jiraiya is a pervert," Torunai said without looking up, "Once activated this seal will shield us from his advances. As kunoichi we're not virgins anymore, but I don't want to get spied on someone that could be my grandfather."

"I see, that's actually smart, this is a standard privacy seal then?" Torunai nodded.

"As for the other thing," Torunai pulled out a book from one of the seals on her belt. "This is a detailed analysis of the human body, the chakra system and a series of chakra control exercises. Once you read through that and can perform at least two of the chakra control exercises, we'll move on to a simple diagnostic jutsu."

Tenten's eyes lit when she read the title, or more accurately, the author: _A beginner's guide to Eisei-nin training, Volume 1 by Senju Tsunade._ Tenten opened the book and started to read through it.

Torunai took a sat down in a meditative pose and started to focus on her chakra. Something Karin said was stuck in her mind, that any Uzumaki has the potential to learn the stuff from the other branches, providing they can figure it out. Torunai was currently working on sensing chakra signatures. Tenten's chakra was pulsing excitedly along with her heart beat. Jiraiya was at a bar down the street, the woman he took of with had confusion surrounding her, and oh, here comes a stronger version of Sasuke with a bijuu.

Torunai's eyes snapped open a split second before there was a knock on the door. Torunai took caution when she went to answer the door. She held her hand ready over the seal containing her senbon.

"Who is it?" Torunai called through the door, the reply was another knock. She unsealed a senbon then opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"We are looking for Uzumaki Torunai," the older version of Sasuke said plainly.

"I don't think she'll be interested in a date with you," Torunai glanced at the one with bijuu levels of chakra. "And she's definitely not interested in you."

"My name is Uchiha Itachi, this is my partner Kisame." Itachi said in what Torunai assumed must be a flirting voice.

"Whatever floats your boat, dude. At least it leaves the cute girls for me." Torunai said focusing her chakra to the senbon in her hand to activate the substance inside it.

It wasn't even a second later when Torunai acted on pure instinct. She ducked under the massive bandaged sword and drove the senbon into one of the wielder's major arteries.

"My apologies, I don't do well with stuff trying to rip my head of, just like I'm sure you two don't do well with poisons." Itachi checked his own arm and noticed the senbon sticking out of it.

"You must be a medic, I didn't even feel the needle." if Itachi was infected by the senbon he didn't show it. "How much time do we have?"

"Will you leave Uzumaki Torunai alone?" Torunai asked.

"For now…" Itachi said while a thump was heard behind him as the big guy, Kisame, fell. Torunai took a small scroll from her pouch.

"This scroll has a distance seal on it. Take your partner as far away from here as you can, once you are far enough away it will unseal itself releasing a cloud of mist that contains the antidote."

Itachi nodded then picked up Kisame and made his way out the building just as Jiraiya entered from the opposite side. Jiraiya was shocked that a kid could defeat a single S-ranked missing-nin, let alone two.

"What the hell did you do to them brat!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"Chakra acceleration medicine that could turn out to be similar to a poison by adding chakra, it won't kill them. Then I gave them a scroll with Anko's brand of 'forget-my-face' mist, I told them it's the antidote." Torunai said. "I mean they are way above my level. I was lucky to even get them."

Jiraiya shook his head as he went to take the woman outside and dispel the genjutsu that was placed on her. As soon as Jiraiya turned the corner and Torunai closed the door she started shaking. The adrenalin wore of and her fear took over and she collapsed on the floor. Tenten ran over and helped Torunai up.

"You trapped me in that seal you made on the ground." Tenten scolded. "And here you are shaking in your pants. What were you thinking?"

"They want 'it'. I couldn't risk your life, not for it." Torunai said slowly getting herself under control. "That's what it means to be a chuunin, eisei-nin and jinchuuriki."

Jiraiya was just outside the door listening to the exchange. He left them to do their thing while he went out do buy some things in order to teach the chuunin a jutsu her father left behind. He returned just under an hour later with a bag filled with water balloons. He gently knocked to make sure the girls were decent.

"Torunai how is your chakra control?" Jiraiya asked when he stepped into the room.

"I manage, even with the sudden spikes and the constant tug-o-war, why?" Jiraiya answered by forming a rasengan.

"I'm going want to teach you this jutsu. It was created by one of my students, five years after his teammates died."

"Jiraiya-san, are you testing my intellect? I know that the rasengan was created by the yondaime." Torunai snapped.

"Who was one of my students," Jiraiya supplied, Torunai's widened slightly something clicking in her mind.

"So you are going to teach me the Yondaime's rasengan. Do you think he taught it to my father?" now it was Jiraiya's turn to be shocked.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya sputtered.

Torunai kept quiet and allowed Jiraiya to show her the first step. She studied the balloon Jiraiya gave her silently, going over the unstable mess Jiraiya showed her. When she picked it up she started to swirl her chakra. It was easy enough since it was one of the chakra control exercised she learned from the book Tenten was reading.

After two minutes of swirling her chakra in a single line all around the balloon, Torunai added a second line across her first, and another, and another, until there were too many lines for the balloon to handle and it burst.

"So you got the idea behind the first step so easy?" Jiraiya didn't want to show his surprise.

"It was a simple case of swirling my chakra in multiple directions at the same time. The shousen-jutsu follows more or less the same principle, meaning you need to be able to control the swirl of your chakra. I used water balloons for that step too." Torunai said tossing Tenten a water balloon. Tenten got the water inside to swirl proofing the point. "But doing it in every direction at the same time is difficult."

"I'll show you the next step in the town we're going to tomorrow." Jiraiya skulked over to his bed. He might not have bought the balloons with his own money but he could've used the money for something productive, like bribes.

The next day on the road Torunai explained to Tenten how to change the direction of the swirl and by the time they reached the next town, an hour away by Jiraiya's pace, Tenten finally got the swirl rotating on itself.

Upon entering the town they noticed them getting ready for a festival. Jiraiya told the girls to enjoy themselves while he worked the bars to get even a hint of Tsunade's whereabouts. Torunai lost all inhibitions, releasing her inner child.

Tenten followed the younger girl around throughout the festival, truly enjoying herself. It was only later that Tenten noticed that Torunai was just acting, she could see the younger girl's eyes momentary scan her surroundings, most likely laying out an escape route.

As they passed a gambling den Tenten noticed that Torunai's ears slightly twitched, but she didn't falter in dragging the older girl around. Nearly three hours later Torunai bought something to eat and insisted on taking one of the corndogs to Jiraiya.

"Okay I quit!" Tenten shouted finally frustrated with Torunai's act. "What are you playing at?"

"What do you mean?" Torunai asked overly innocent. Tenten gave her the look. "Okay, I don't trust Jiraiya. The man pushes all the wrong buttons in me. From the start I got a vibe from this town, so I put on my little-girl panties and acted like a fool. I studied the people's manners like I was taught to with my infiltration training. There are fourteen shinobi or former shinobi walking around. Jiraiya is in the bar on the corner entertaining the local ladies and in the gambling den we passed they mentioned how they cleaned out the 'legendary sucker', a very well known nickname for Tsunade-sama."

"So you heard word of her and…" Tenten tried to piece it together.

"And I want to find out if Jiraiya actually did what he said he would and found the direction she went into. If he didn't then I'm going to shove this corndog where the 'sun don't shine'." Torunai had a feral grin. It scared Tenten but in the same light she couldn't help but smile with the younger girl.

They arrived at the bar, and after flashing their hitai-ate and promising pain, they were aloud to enter. They found Jiraiya in a booth, drunk as a lord and giving away money like candy to the house girls. Torunai smirked and went to the man.

"Jiraiya-san, I brought you a corndog and was wondering if you found out where we would be going next." Torunai said in a mixture of seductive/threatening voice.

"No, not yet, only found out she was here." Those words were accompanied by a choke when Jiraiya found his airways blocked by the offered corndog and the red headed girl stomping out.

Once outside, Torunai turned to Tenten and shook her head. Tenten had the feeling she was about to find out how this girl became a chuunin without taking the exam. Torunai dragged Tenten out of town to a secluded area and started to undress. Once naked Torunai took her belt and turned it until she found a specific seal. In a puff Torunai's clothes were gone and a different set lay in its place.

Torunai flashed through fourteen seals before touching her own forehead, soon after the girl's body started to expand to that of a teenaged girl of about sixteen, but with blonde hair. Torunai got dressed in the civilian clothes before touching a part of the skirt. The belt vanished into the seal, being replaced by a small bag that was only big enough to fit a money pouch. On the bag was a cute pattern Tenten barely registered as a seal.

"What are you doing?" Tenten asked curiously.

"I'm going to infiltrate some of the gambling pins and find out where Tsunade-sama went." Torunai said, "You on the other hand should keep up the illusion that I'm still with you. As long as you have the bag with the sustained seal the mizu-buunshin I'm going to make can move around with you instead of the twenty feet it has to be from me."

With that said Torunai touched the bag making the seal glow, some water fell on the ground, which Torunai used to make a mizu-buunshin of her smaller self. Torunai waited for Tenten to return to town before she unsealed a wallet pouch and followed them, her movement civilian-like.

Torunai found her way to the gambling den she heard Tsunade's unofficial title. Scanning the building she moved the curtain away and made her way inside. She listened to the crowd scanning for the voice. She found him at one of the dice games. She sat down across from the man and played the innocence card.

"This game looks interesting, how does it work?" Torunai asked.

"Sorry young lady, but I need to see your ID." The man said. Torunai took out an ID card and handed it to the man. The man scanned it thoroughly, making sure it was authentic. Giving it back the man said, "I see you're celebrating your eighteenth birthday here with us, Fuketsu-san, your father must've been a cruel man."

Torunai gave the man a shy smile and brushed her hair out of her face, she could feel the shinobi at the door forcing his chakra into her trying to dispel any henge or genjutsu. That was the brilliance of the jutsu she did, it can't be dispelled without the counter seals.

Torunai listened to the rules of the game and purposely lost a few games, being cursed with good luck would do that to you. After several games the man made a comment that if she would be able to clean Tsunade out even if Tsunade had good luck in gambling. That was the opportunity Torunai was looking for.

"Maybe I'll do just that," she giggled, "Where would I find this Tsunade woman?"

"Last I heard she was heading up to Tanzaku, probably trying to regain her losses by cheating at one of the smaller gambling pits there." The guy laughed as Torunai let the house win a hand.

A few minutes later Torunai excused herself to try her luck at one of the other games. She deployed the same strategy until she was able to get every ounce of information out of the gambling den. Three hours later 'Fuketsu' bid the gamblers a goodbye and started to head 'home'.

She met Tenten's eye at the edge of town and the girl followed her to the place they went to before when Torunai changed into her different persona. After getting her body back and dressing in her normal clothes, Torunai turned towards Tenten.

"Tsunade-sama was heading towards Tanzaku. It's a gambling town near the border. She had apparently lost a great deal of money here." Torunai said then sighed. "We can't move until Jiraiya is sober again. So let's go get a room and turn in for the night. How's that rotating chakra exercise coming along, do you think you're ready for the next one?"

The girls went back into town and got a room next to the one Jiraiya rented. Tenten sat anxious waiting for Torunai to get back and teach her the next chakra control exercise. Torunai entered the room a few minutes later holding a small piece of rope.

"The first step you did was figuring out the flow of your chakra. The trick you used was to rotate the water in that balloon. The next step is to push your chakra into an object and manipulate it." Torunai said holding up the rope. "It's fairly easy. All you have to do is form patterns with the rope using only your chakra. You the patterns are in the back of the book."

"And your next step is to burst this." Jiraiya said from the door, throwing a rubber ball to Torunai. "Now if you ladies will excuse me I need to get some sleep." Jiraiya left the girls to go to his room.

**A week later**

The Konoha travelers may have had a direction to head into but Jiraiya found it necessary to stop in every town on their way to gather more information. It was just a stroke of luck that Tsunade had that same idea, well more or less. It has also taken this much time for Torunai to unlearn her gentle touch in medicine for the more violent touch of the rasengan.

They were standing on the edge of Tanzaku town overlooking the valley below. Jiraiya had a twitch in his eye. He had just told Torunai the third step of the rasengan and she was able to do it with her third try. Her excuse was that she was a medic and that chakra control was easy enough for her.

"All fingers points to this town." Jiraiya said sagely, ignoring the glares the girls gave him. Tenten was actually forming a hangman's noose with the rope in her hand. "This town has a rich gambling history and some of the smaller pits tolerate cheating against other players."

Jiraiya walked down the path to the town and the girls followed. Once they reached the town Jiraiya picked a gambling place at random and went in. The people inside took Jiraiya for a ride but after money exchanged hands they pointed the trio to the castle. They made their way up there only to see it disappear under the weigh of a summoned snake.

The trio arrived seconds too late and missed Tsunade. Frustrated Jiraiya led the girls to a bar with a restaurant, figuring that they could discuss strategy over dinner. Luck was on their side when it turned out that Tsunade and her assistant also chose that bar to unwind a bit. Tsunade locked eyes with Jiraiya. She gave him some story about not respecting the former Hokages. Torunai's sixth sense went haywire when she heard the obvious lie.

"Bull shit," Torunai said plainly interrupting the blonde haired woman.

"What was that brat?" Tsunade smirked thinking she could provoke a fight from the red head that reminded her of Konoha's second jinchuuriki.

"I said that I don't believe the bull you just spat out," Torunai said shocking Tenten, who heard nothing but praise for this woman from Torunai. "And even if it was true, I can see in your eyes that you want to settle down. It makes me glad that we don't share the same branch of the clan."

"You must be that girl, Uzumaki Torunai?" Tsunade said after thinking it over.

"What about it?" Torunai snapped, "I don't think that your grandma gave you the clip, probably the diluted blood in your system." This girl was pushing Tsunade's buttons and not in a good way.

"You want to take it outside brat?" Tsunade all but screamed.

"Legendary super strength vs. a healing factor, as an eisei-nin I don't like to take the chance sorry."

"Eisei-nin…" Tsunade was instantly silent.

"And I'm busy teaching Tenten here what I know." Torunai added. Tenten only then saw what Torunai was doing. She was forcing Tsunade into a corner.

"And to think I wanted to be just like you," Torunai sighed, "Once I get this oversized plush doll inside me to stop fighting me for my chakra and boosting it whenever it feels like it."

"What level are you on?" Tsunade didn't believe the girl but played along.

"My control is chuunin level, but because of the fox I'm struggling to advance. I was actually going to ask you if there was a way to improve my control, even if I'm not wearing the clip." Torunai laughed here, "During the chuunin exam I molded the perfect amount of chakra to summon Tama, then at the last second the Kyuubi decided to steal some of my chakra and I ended up with chakra exhaustion."

Tsunade studied the girl trying to detect a lie in her voice, but she couldn't. She also found that the girl was skilled enough to defuse a situation. She motioned Torunai to go on.

"The first time the hospital allowed me and my teammate, Amaru, to work on humans that thing decided I needed a booster shot. I was working on rebuilding the muscle, got the spike and broke the bone. The doctor in charge said it happens to the best of us, the hospital records doesn't reflect it. I was feeling bad for what I did so I went to meditate. While meditating I heard the fox laughing inside me and saying how fun it was to break that bone. And to think I wanted to be friends with the fox." when Torunai finished talking she got up and walked out the bar.

"Wait," Tsunade said when Torunai reached the door. She tossed Torunai a red hairclip. "My grandmother's Uzumaki clip, and for your information I can use it. I'll get that from you in a week, so learn all the chakra control exercises I stored in there, I'm trust you know the seven seals."

"Thank you Tsunade-sama," Torunai whispered before replacing the golden clip with the red one.

**A week later**

A sudden jolt woke Torunai up from her medical induced coma, something Tsunade did when Torunai blocked her way to Orochimaru. Not one of her proudest moments but she'll do it again, just not against someone of Tsunade's caliber.

Focusing her chakra, she scanned the surrounding countryside searching for any sign of shinobi. Jiraiya was staggering her way his chakra reserves pulsing at irregular intervals. Tenten was caught in a very strong genjutsu. Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, was hyperventilating trying to break the coma their little pig, Ton-Ton was in. Oh and it seems that Kabuto was in the same area as Tsunade and…

"Orochimaru!" Torunai growled, she could feel the Kyuubi providing her with its evil chakra, and for once she didn't care.

Torunai grabbed her belt and medical supplies. She unsealed a senbon and made her way to Tenten in the next room. She pricked Tenten with the senbon and lightly channeled chakra through it. When Tenten snapped out of the genjutsu Torunai gave her a syringe and a senbon.

"Get to Jiraiya, inject him with the chakra drainer then stab him with the needle. His chakra is pulsing dangerously. I'm going to find Shizune. Once you're done come back here, but tell Jiraiya to go to the field west of here. There's a battle of super powers out there, Orochimaru, Tsunade-sama and once Jiraiya is better him too. Shizune and I are going for medical back-up and maybe a distraction!" Torunai talked fast and left equally as fast.

When Torunai entered the room where Shizune and Ton-Ton was she took out smelling salts and a pair of syringes. She pushed Shizune out of the way and drew a blood sample from the little pig. Pushing her chakra into the syringe the blood turned green momentary. Torunai sighed then filled the other syringe with epinephrine and injected the pig with it before holding the smelling salts to its nose.

"There's no time to be moping Shizune-san, we need to get to the west side and help Tsunade." Torunai said. When Shizune made no movements the young girl slapped her.

They met Jiraiya on their way there still being supported by Tenten, Torunai sighed but kept her cool. There was no need to unleash the Kyuubi's power on her allies. She was just barely able to control her chakra enough to diagnose the blood she took from Ton-Ton.

They arrived at the battle just in time to witness Tsunade's grudge with the ground. Or at least that was what it appeared like. Several feet away stood Kabuto, a shiny new Oto hitai-ate on his forehead.

"Two against one isn't really fair now is it?" Torunai said trying to figure out the situation.

Orochimaru's arms hung limp and dead from his shoulders, it almost seemed like someone used a high-level paralysis on him. Kabuto was clearly there to do the jutsu Orochimaru couldn't.

"Who are you!" Kabuto said not recognizing the red head.

"A cute little girl with a big plush doll," Torunai snapped back. There was blood everywhere. Clearly they didn't know that she snapped Tsunade out of her fear of blood. "I can't read them Tsunade-sama, what's going on here?"

"Orochimaru… chan here pulled my grandfather and granduncle from their deaths, and somewhere along the lines they turned on him and sealed his arms in the belly of the shinigami." Tsunade said a bit bored, "He promised me my lover and brother back using the same jutsu."

"And because I snapped you out of your funk you turned against them?" Torunai said crossing her hands under her developing breasts. "And Kabuto is here for Orochimaru's pedophilic pleasure?"

"Sums it about up, the little shit thought I was still freaked out by blood, thanks for that by the way." Tsunade said crossing her own arms. "I…"

"Here," Torunai gave Tsunade's clip back, "Thank you for the chakra control knowledge. I was able to, barely, diagnose Ton-Ton's condition earlier."

There was a large puff from across the field. Apparently Orochimaru was getting bored. Next to them there was a much smaller puff and a small red toad appeared next to Jiraiya. Torunai sighed then nodded to Tsunade before moving towards Jiraiya. Tsunade summoned a large slug while Torunai summoned Tama to assist Jiraiya.

Jumping from Tama's back Torunai had to dodge a hand aimed at her head. It seemed that Kabuto wanted to play. Crouching low Torunai got ready to fight. Kabuto snickered as he rushed in. Torunai was just barely able to dodge his moves. She was thankful for the burst of speed the Kyuubi provided, but she felt like she needed a long bath after this.

A soft thud from her left side had Torunai falling to the ground. Looking back she saw Kabuto pull a kunai out of his hand, the wound almost healing instantly. She gulped knowing that it was a close call.

Torunai held her one hand behind her back and started forming the rasengan. She didn't want to test the limits of her luck. So when Kabuto came at her again, his hands glowing green with a chakra sculpt, she rammed the rasengan into his abdomen. She knew that with his healing it won't keep him down for long but he would be disoriented for a few days. Minutes later Kabuto was storming Torunai again when Orochimaru called him back.

"Kabuto we're going!" Orochimaru shouted, in addition to his arms he was looking worse for wear. Torunai just barely registered a face that seemed similar to that Kin girl sticking through the peeled skin of Orochimaru's face, in a second they were gone..

"Creepy," Torunai said glad she wouldn't need to fight any longer. She wouldn't last.

Torunai nodded at Tama who gave a curt nod then dispersed. The slug Tsunade summoned did the same. Torunai laughed when Jiraiya fell flat on his backside. The tense mood was finally broken. Then Torunai passed out.

**Four days later**

Torunai sighed in relieve as she sunk into the hot water in the onsen, for the last three days she scrubbed herself raw trying to rid herself from the chakra she used during the little meeting with Orochimaru and Kabuto. She figured out that it was the Kyuubi's chakra that brought her out of the coma, and also its chakra that helped her throughout that incident. When the chakra receded Torunai fell back into the coma.

"This feels like heaven." Torunai said to no one in particular. "It feels like the Kyuubi's chakra is finally leaving my body."

"Sorry to break your bubble Torunai," Tenten said beside her, "But Tsunade-sama confirmed all the chakra was worked out of your system with that fight."

"I know, I guess this is more of a mental thing." Torunai smiled, "So how are you doing with reviving that fish?"

"Let's not talk about that now and just relax." Tenten said a little too quickly, she had moved from patterns to pulling chakra out of a cube and now started converting her chakra to healing and diagnostic, and she was struggling.

The girls had a great time within the warm water, Tsunade caught Jiraiya with a limp rope, and now the pervert was in the community pool across town waiting for girls to show up, but they were all in the pool with Torunai and Tenten.

There was a commotion just outside the baths. Now normally Torunai would investigate, but currently she didn't feel like it. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Tenten, not wanting to disturb the girl Tenten said nothing.

"It doesn't concern me…" Torunai said placing a warm rag over her eyes.

"What!" Tenten didn't know what hit her. "I didn't say anything."

"Your body tensed up when the commotion started outside, I figured you didn't want to be caught off guard when I fly out of the pool." Torunai giggled, "Whatever is going on outside has gambling debt written all over it, besides I'm totally relaxed."

As it turned out there was a misunderstanding between a pair of bounty hunters, their client and Tsunade. The man wanted to find Tsunade to thank her for saving his son's life by writing off her debt to him. The bounty hunters thought they were hunting her to collect the debt she owed, and Tsunade chased them all over the onsen town because they were annoying her.

When they left the next day Jiraiya was as red as a lobster from his extended hours in the hot water. And worse, for him at least, was that no cute girls arrived while he was in there, just a bunch of Sumo-wrestlers, some monkeys and a group of old ladies.

They made it to Konoha without any trouble. Torunai did spy potential threats but it seemed that Jiraiya wasn't all boast, or maybe it was because the bunch seemed like the type who would want Jiraiya's autograph instead.

Upon entering the village, Torunai and Tenten said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Torunai didn't get far when a chuunin dropped next to her. He told her to go to the Hokage's office. She gave a curt nod then used shunshin to speed up her journey to the tower. Entering the door Torunai was instantly on edge, there were seven other people all looking a bit glum.

"What's up?" Torunai asked when no one spoke.

"Please sit down, Torunai." The Sandaime Hokage said. A moment later the door opened and in walked Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Now that everyone is here that needs to be this meeting can begin."

"Firstly I believe introductions are in order for our new Hokage." The Hokage began. He introduced the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio, his old teammates, Ibiki and Anko, "And now on to business. Torunai, the acting Kazekage has requested your presence in Suna. It has something to do with that Gaara gennin."

"We sent word that you were on an extended mission," Anko said plainly not willing to elaborate.

"It is our belief that Gaara seeks revenge, although there is no proof of that, at this time." Shukaku said with a sigh.

"We would like to delay the inevitable until after the chuunin selection ceremony," the Hokage said again, "It was decided that four chuunin and a jounin would accompany you, since we can't risk a war."

"I understand," Torunai said, not quite feeling comfortable. "Who would accompany me then?"

"The jounin that would accompany you is Anko-san. Her douton would work best in the desert. As for the chuunin it would be your teammate, Amaru, Inuzuka Hana and two of the graduating chuunin of this exam, Nara Shikamaru and Haruno Sakura. She has made a recovery and is going to be promoted because her team has been disbanded."

"Disbanded?" Torunai raised an eyebrow.

"Uchiha Sasuke has been arrested for attacking a fellow Konoha shinobi and their other teammate, Sai was found dead a week ago. Haruno Sakura also showed progress in her training since being under your tutelage." One of the council members said.

"Hatake Kakashi has been assigned a new gennin team, as his punishment." The other councilor said,

"He took gennin on a C-Ranked mission turned A-ranked. He then entered ill prepared gennin into the exams just to get rid of them." Ibiki said, "I actually had fun interrogating him."

"May I rest for two days," Torunai asked, "Not so much for relaxation, but to prepare myself for what might happen in Suna, and to stock up on anything that I might need."

None of the people present had any objections and Torunai was dismissed.

**End**

**I know that I'm evil to leave it there but I need time to work out the kinks in the next part. I wanted to reestablish a meeting with Gaara, to solidify the bond, something missing from the canon version.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**Tsunade's back in Konoha and Torunai has to go to Suna? What was I thinking? It all just escaped, darn plot bunnies. Oh and I found a mistake, well one of my friends did, in the last chapter. I used the word 'aloud' instead of 'allowed', thank you Chris.**

Chapter 6

Torunai was beyond angry. She made it to the gate ready to leave for Suna when Tsunade appeared out of the wood works and demanded that Torunai wear her chuunin flak jacket. Torunai had it for a little while and as soon as she got it she placed the thermal optic camouflage seal on it. The problem was that the seal needed another two months to settle and become permanent. Torunai just hoped she wouldn't need it.

Anko told the group that she was in no hurry to get Torunai potentially killed so she set the pace walking. It would take the group two days to reach the border, then another day to reach Suna. By the time they set up camp Torunai was less grumpy.

Around the fire the group of kunoichi could see that Shikamaru was in deep thought and really battling, they assumed it was because he was the only guy in the group with five 'troublesome' women. That proofed to be a false lead when he voiced his thoughts.

"Why the hell do they label the ninja tools by quality? I had to buy jounin quality kunai and shuriken for this trip. Those things are expensive."

"Troublesome Shikamaru," Torunai laughed. He gave her the stink eye, while the others looked on curiously, except for Anko. "Jounin quality is forged from fresh iron ore."

"What?" Shikamaru kept his catchphrase at bay. "So if they are the elite, then what is chuunin quality and academy quality then?"

"Well chuunin quality kunai is melted and forged from previously discarded tools that can't be re-sharpened. Academy quality on the other hand, is some of those the tools that somebody blunted by wear and tear, and then decided to make a quick ryo instead of sharpening it." Torunai said looking around. "What? I hardly buy tools and sell the ones that reached their sharpening limit. And those few times when I didn't have money for food, I sold some kunai that could still be sharpened."

Torunai took her leave after dinner. She was nervous but she wouldn't tell anyone, if they figure it out on their own, she won't deny it. Torunai made her way to the nearby lake, stripping down she got in and allowed the cold water to sooth her a bit. Minutes later she felt the ripple of water indicating that someone got in. Counting the ripples Torunai matched them to Hana.

"You're acting brave, but I can smell the nervousness on you."

"Gaara is a jinchuuriki just like me. I talked with the fox summons and the ones who fought the previous ones all say the same thing, Shukaku can't be tamed. That tanuki feeds on the insecurities of their jailors and twists them in such a way that the jinchuuriki would eventually break the seal or try to commit suicide just to get rid of it."

"Are you more afraid of him or turning out like him?" Hana asked.

"A bit of both I guess, I mean I was able to fake my strength when I had nothing more to give. Even with Tsunade-sama's chakra control knowledge, I don't think I can fake it again, at least on their home turf."

"Roll over," Hana suddenly said. "I'm going to give you a relaxing massage to relief some of your stress."

Hana didn't really wait for Torunai to turn as she moved over and started a massage memory that Torunai would never forget. And the feel of Hana's naked body on her bottom didn't help matters either.

The rest of the journey to the border was uneventful, save for the rapidly growing heat as they got closer. The first to buckle under the heat was Shikamaru, being the only boy in the group he though he had the females beat when he took of his shirt. He didn't expect the girls to follow suit. The kunoichi all, after making Shikamaru turn around, stripped down to their sport tops and pulled the flak jackets on over it.

Anko handed out light cloaks to protect them from the desert heat the next day, but for that night they slept in one of the Konoha/Suna watch towers, and the next day their guide into Suna.

The next day it was a random Suna puppet master who showed up to guide them into the hidden village. Torunai was the first to notice that the woman had her tongue removed, from the precision of the cut Torunai figured it was either voluntary, or possibly ritualistic, removal. Either way they won't get any information out of her.

The walls of Suna seemed more opposing to Torunai since the last time they were there. It didn't help that people were looking at her with mixed emotions. The group made their way to the Kazekage's office. The acting Kazekage was none other then Gaara's sensei. That dampened Torunai's spirits even further.

When Gaara arrived Torunai was on edge, he still had that mad gleam in his eyes. Seeing the girl Gaara walked silently to her, Torunai prepared a large scale suiton jutsu mentally. All that was suddenly stopped when she felt skin, not sand around her neck, Gaara was giving her a hug.

"I want to thank you, Uzumaki Torunai." Gaara said in a monotone, "You saved me from the path I was heading, and opened my eyes to what I had all along, an older, stupid brother who plays with dolls and a loving older sister. They still annoy me at times but that is what family does, I guess."

"Thank you?" Torunai asked not sure what just happened. Looking around she was clearly not the only one.

"After you defeated me, I realized what you were," Gaara said, "You are like me, but unlike me you're eyes opened earlier and you fought to protect them. I had all this time to figure that out and finally I understood."

"And Shukaku?" Torunai asked a little more comfortable now.

"One of our seal experts helped me develop a seal to block out his rumblings. At first I wished to have him sealed back into the kettle, but doing that would've killed me, the same could be said about altering the seal."

"So you still have an unstable seal and can't sleep, but at least you don't hear it anymore?" Torunai raised an eyebrow. Gaara nodded, "Cool."

The assembled shinobi were confused, even the acting Kazekage. Gaara never told him why he wanted to see this Torunai girl. As a precaution he had stocked the office with far too many water sources if anything went south. Having a slight water affinity himself he could feel the suiton chakra molding in the air, although he didn't know which Konoha shinobi did it.

"That was… surprising." Baki said. No one answered. Baki dismissed the shinobi present after giving them passes to walk about freely, provided they had a Suna guide.

"Uzumaki Torunai, would you accompany me?" Gaara asked his cheeks a bit red.

"Sure," Torunai said slowly, not missing the signs, but not wanting to be rude. "But only if someone else from my team comes with us." Gaara nodded and Torunai grabbed Shikamaru by the arm, knowing he won't bother say a word but could device an escape if necessary.

Torunai and Shikamaru followed Gaara out of the office and onto the roof. Gaara made a roof of sand to protect them from the desert sun, but still allow them to look up into the sky. Shikamaru took the opportunity to play a little game of 'spot-the-cloud', a difficult game in the desert.

"May I inquire your age?" Gaara asked when he was sure Torunai was comfortable.

"I'm eleven as of Juugatsu 10th, what about you?" Torunai answered not missing the sharp intake of breath Shikamaru took.

"I'll be thirteen on Ichigatsu 19th." Gaara took a deep breath, "You were the first person close to my age that didn't fear me. You were also a chuunin since before the exams."

"I know I was there," Torunai giggled.

"I mean, you are a strong girl. I admire you and what you accomplished."

"Thank you?" Torunai asked not liking where this might be going.

"Why is this so hard?" Gaara whispered to himself.

"You are trying to ask me out, aren't you?" Torunai said flatly trying to defuse the situation.

"Yes," Gaara admitted, then looked at Torunai expectantly.

"Any girl would be lucky to have you Gaara, but the truth is that I find the idea of being with a guy, what is the word, daunting." Torunai looked over at Gaara, he was clearly confused.

"When I was kicked out of the orphanage I had to find my own way around. I ended up in one of the shadier places of Konoha and saw a man forcing his way onto a girl. I saw the blood dripping from the place he entered. It wasn't pretty. In the academy I learned that blood the first time wasn't uncommon, we even had a class where our virginity was broken. That only strengthened my resolve. In short Gaara, I like girls just like you do."

"I understand," Gaara said after thinking it over. "Can we be friends instead?"

"I'd like that," Torunai smiled then got an idea. She went through a few seals and added just enough chakra to summon a small fox. "Kitsune-san, my name is Uzumaki Torunai, is there a messenger amongst your clan?"

"My name is Horu," the fox said, if foxes could blush Torunai was sure Horu did just then, "The one you seek is Todokeru, daughter of Jinsoku. She is currently the fastest among us."

"And you like her?" Torunai smiled, "So what is your specialty?"

"I dig holes," the fox said avoiding the first question, "And I like gardening."

"Could you ask Todokeru-chan if she'll be willing to act as a messenger between me and Gaara?" Horu nodded then dispersed himself.

"Now we're pen-pals," Torunai said then stood up.

A Suna shinobi appeared within the next second and requested that Gaara, Shikamaru and Torunai rush to the Kazekage's office. The shinobi compiled and when they arrived, Baki notified the Konoha shinobi that the Hokage wanted them to intercept a fleeing prisoner. Baki instructed Gaara and his siblings to assist them.

Taking the fastest route out of the village the group headed north-west towards the border and into Fire Country. The journey to the border took less than an few minutes at top speeds. Within the next hour the allied team made it to the ambush site between Konoha and Kusa.

While the assembled shinobi went to set up traps, Torunai went to work on chakra extender seals to give to them. Amaru was the first one back, which was a good thing since Torunai was running low on chakra herself. Amaru gave Torunai the shot and they waited for their allies to return.

When the last ally returned and was given the chakra extender seal the first signs of movement were heard through the brush. Torunai pushed chakra into her eyes giving it the signature golden glow. With her enhanced vision Torunai saw a head of white approaching. She nudged Gaara next to her and in sign language told him to alert his team while Torunai gave a high pitched whistle to alert Hana and Anko. A fox-like bark told Torunai to go ahead and intercept. Torunai sprung into action and just managed to tackle Mizuki out of his jump.

"We meet again, Mizuki-baka-sensei." Torunai said getting to her feet.

"Yes I see," Mizuki smirked, "Only this time that slut isn't here to save you." Torunai flared her chakra slightly, a sign she and Amaru developed to indicate the other doesn't need help.

"I'm not a scared little girl anymore," Torunai said getting into a low stance.

"The style you used when you caught me of guard? Very well, let's dance." Mizuki got in his own stance.

No more words were spoken as Mizuki started charging in. Torunai waited until the last second then ducked under the punch and using the momentum to drive Mizuki hard into the ground. Mizuki growled as he jumped up and started throwing fast punches towards Torunai who dodged or deflected while missing the occasional one and got hit.

Torunai was getting used to Mizuki's style after the first few minutes of playing the dodging game. Torunai felt fairly safe considering she saw that the seal that suppressed Mizuki's chakra was still in place. It didn't cut all his chakra down but it prevented him from using jutsu.

Torunai was finally ready to end the match and ghosted her hand over a seal on her belt. A medical coma seal popped out which Torunai hid within her sleeve. Mizuki was getting agitated because he wasn't making any head way on the small girl. He decided to play his trump card.

"There was an interesting rumor going around in the prison. It seems that anyone that figured out your little secret was imprisoned." Mizuki said. Torunai caught on fast enough and made two kage-buunshin.

"What secret is that?" Torunai dodged then flickered to replace herself with one of the clones. She gave the other one the seal to place on Mizuki when the time is right.

"The secret where you are the Kyuubi and attacked Konoha eleven years ago," Mizuki said punching the clone. The clone performed a kawarimi with a nearby log. With its small amount of chakra gone Torunai took its place.

"That could've hurt me," Torunai said in a mock voice. "And you need to get your ears cleaned, seriously. I am not the fox. It was sealed inside of me. And the people who are in jail because of it, tried to kill me. That is why they are in prison, not for some bull reason like finding out a SS-class secret."

Mizuki's trump card failed so he charged in again, Torunai nodded briefly to her remaining clone then jumped at Mizuki creating a string of kage-buunshin to keep her in motion and keeping Mizuki's attention away from the clone sneaking up behind him. Just as Mizuki thought he had Torunai his world went black. The clone finally got the seal on him knocking him into a medical coma. With Mizuki out Torunai slumped down as well, winded from the battle she just had and not being restored to her full strength.

"He became weak," Anko said as she dropped down then pointed behind her. "Just like the people that traveled with him, "Good job Kokitsune."

"All I did was put him in a coma, I'm so weak." Torunai said then felt the stinging pain on her cheek.

"You aren't weak, damn it." Anko had tears in her eyes. "You were piped out because of those seals you made and you still beat a high level chuunin, one that never relied on jutsu even if he could mold them. And besides you didn't even use the rasengan on his punk ass." Anko's eyes lit up.

The group decided to part ways, sure they could remain in Suna for a bit longer, but Gaara found that it wasn't necessary, since Torunai wasn't going to go out with him. Torunai summoned Todokeru and introduced herself and Gaara. The little two tailed fox had a glint in her eyes and agreed to carry messages between the two friends but only once a month. With everything said and done the shinobi parted ways.

"So you and Gaara?" Sakura asked then raised her pinkie.

"Nope, Gaara's not my type, too many useless spare parts." Torunai laughed then jumped ahead leaving Sakura thinking about her words.

"Torunai-san," Shikamaru started getting next to her. Torunai acknowledged him, "When you came into our class, Iruka told us you were two years below us, but you told Gaara you were eleven."

"I enrolled in the academy a year after regulation, being on the street and all. But I was always a year younger then you lot, I was born the day the Kyuubi attacked, and to stop it, the Yondaime sealed it into me. Just like my mother before me got it when the Shodaime's wife died, I would probably have a kid and transfer the Kyuubi into him or her if I can't tame it by the time I die." Torunai said emotionless.

Shikamaru looked at the kunoichi around him and knew he was the only one out of the loop. He cursed himself for not making the connection when he was with Torunai and Gaara on the roof. Some strategist he turned out to be.

**Konoha a week later**

The shinobi arrived a few hours after the conversation between Torunai and Shikamaru, and things were considered quiet. Torunai foregone going to the hospital and worked on training her body and getting her chakra control perfect, even if the Kyuubi gave her a boost every now and then.

Torunai was sitting in a meditative position concentrating on detecting chakra in the vicinity. She found that focusing it through the rat seal increased the reach of it. Feeling a pull nearby Torunai turned her focus towards it, it was Kakashi.

"Can I help you, Hatake-san?" Torunai said while she pulled her chakra in.

"Are you a sensor type, Uzumaki-san?" Kakashi ignored her question.

"I'm an Uzumaki. Some members of my clan are natural sensors. How can I help you?"

"I want to thank you for training my student for her match in the finals." Kakashi said sitting down next to her. "She showed improvement."

"As I recall, your team has been disbanded, one dead, one jailed and the other promoted via technicality. Personally I feel that if you stopped fanning the Uchiha's ego long enough she would've been better prepared."

"Touché," Kakashi said then turned serious. "I noticed that you and the new Hokage are on good speaking terms, and as you know the next batch of gennin will only be ready in the next two months, so…"

"Even if I could recommend you for a mission, I wouldn't. Your gennin were unprepared in Wave forcing our team to intervene. We were there to infiltrate and gather intelligence, but Amaru and I were more battle ready."

"I deserve that one, I guess." Kakashi said then handed Torunai a book. "It is to thank you for training Sakura and getting her interested in being an eisei-nin."

Kakashi got up and walked away. Torunai looked down on the book, the title read *'Shuryou no megami'. Torunai turned the book over and noticed it was an import originally published in another language.

Torunai sealed the book into her belt and went into town. Maybe she could hang out with Amaru. Or better, maybe she could try and get a mission of her own. Torunai walked down the street with her hands in her behind her back when she noticed Hinata's little sister walking down the street. And apparently she notice Torunai too.

"Torunai-san, what are you doing here?" Hanabi asked wide eyed.

"Not much, Hanabi-san. I've been training for the last week, a bit depressed that I haven't been given a mission yet." Torunai answered to be polite.

"Don't shinobi normally go and ask for missions?" Hanabi asked suddenly curious.

"In normal circumstances yes, but then there are specialized shinobi that needs to be called for missions, sadly I fall amongst them. I am an infiltration/assassination/medical type. And these days there isn't many of those missions going around."

"That sucks. My sister is out on a mission, and my cousin Neji. They are the only ones who ever paid attention to me, like a person I mean." Hanabi sighed. "If you can't get a mission can we hang out today?"

"Why don't you come with me? That way if I can't get a mission I won't need to look for you." Torunai smiled. Sure she wanted to avoid this especially since she found the young Hyuuga cute.

The two girls walked down the street towards the mission office. Torunai went in and gave the clerk her shinobi license and asked if there were any available missions for her. The clerk went through all the mission scrolls but he couldn't find anything. With a sigh Torunai left the office to spend the day with Hanabi.

They made their way to a park where there was a sweet shop run by a member of the Haruno clan. Torunai bought two chocolate bars and two cups of fermented red bean paste. She took the items over to Hanabi who sat at a table waiting.

"Well I'm kinda new to 'just hanging out'," Torunai said blushing. "Normally I end up training with the people I hang out with, so I leave the activities up to you."

"Um, okay." Hanabi said blushing slightly from being put on the spot. "I always really wanted to go to the public onsen. My father always said I can't go alone and Hinata is too shy to take me."

"I noticed that she was shy," Torunai said then took a sip, "I went to sit next to her during the gennin exams. She didn't really talk much, but she seemed to like my sketch book." Torunai noticed that Hanabi went blood red. "You saw my drawings when Hinata-chan took the book home for safe keeping, didn't you?"

"Y-yes," Hanabi stuttered. "They were of naked girls and women."

"Don't you go shy on me too," Torunai laughed.

"Um, can I ask you something? It bothered me since we met in the hospital." Torunai nodded. "After you left the room I saw you look at a girl that walked pass you like, you know."

"Yes, I do like girls," Torunai said, "I like girls in the way other girls like guys."

Hanabi was thinking hard as they finished their chocolate and fermented red bean paste and walked towards the onsen. When they got there and entered she didn't object when Torunai helped her wash up. It wasn't until they reached 'Anko's pool' that Hanabi spoke again.

"Isn't it a bit weird though? Liking girls, wouldn't you want to have a baby one day?"

"Maybe one day, but that doesn't mean I need to have a boyfriend or a husband. There are ways that I can have a baby without 'being' with a guy." Torunai said then dropped down into the water submerging her body.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" Hanabi asked as Torunai resurfaced.

"I did, but that was part of my kunoichi training." Torunai said thinking, "I kissed a guy and a girl during the seduction training sessions. Funny thing is that most kunoichi in training avoid those classes, or just never apply for them. Personally I wanted the full experience."

"Hinata never took those classes," Hanabi said, "And I don't know anyone who did."

"I only know one girl, that wasn't part of my age group that took those classes, your cousin Neji's teammate, Tenten."

The conversation after that became milder as the initial ice has been broken and Hanabi felt more comfortable around the older girl. They started talking about Torunai's training and Hanabi's desire to become a kunoichi, if her father would allow her. When they got out, Hanabi asked if Torunai would consider drawing her like one of the naked girls in her sketchbook. Torunai told her that it wouldn't be wise until she was a bit older.

**Two days later**

Torunai was working at the hospital when she was called up to the main office. When Torunai got to the office Tsunade was waiting for her. Tsunade told the girl to follow her down to the operating room and observe her working on Lee.

Torunai's eyes were wide. She didn't think that Tsunade would consider her for such a task. Torunai didn't waste time as she went down to the operating room. She noticed that one of the higher level eisei-nin were working on activating a medical coma seal, it reminded Torunai to replace the one she used on Mizuki.

After scrubbing in, Torunai went to work on mixing the anesthetic. She wasn't sure why, but it felt like Tsunade was smiling at her. After preparing seven needles with the anesthetic mixture Torunai took them on a tray to the table. Lee was already hooked up on the IV and was staring wide eyed at the gathered medics.

"Lee-san," Torunai said picking up a needle, "I'm going to inject this anesthetic into you. What I need you to do is count backwards from one hundred."

Lee got to eighty when his vision went black. Torunai pulled out the syringe and walked to stand next to Tsunade who was flashing through the signs for a chakra scalpel. Tsunade then slowly cut through the skin and around the muscle to get to the crushed bone directly. Torunai noted that Tsunade added four extra seals to the shousen-jutsu turning it from a pale green to magenta.

Torunai reached out with her chakra to feel the flow of the chakra while she stood mesmerized watching the bone start to rebuild itself. The movement was gentle but it flowed in every direction, just like the rasengan. But unlike the rasengan the chakra didn't force its way, instead it flowed like a river.

Tsunade glanced at Torunai and smiled. She felt the chakra presence and knew that Torunai use one of her chakra control exercises to follow the chakra flow. It was gentle meaning the control was perfect. When both the arm and leg was rebuilt and healed together, Tsunade took Torunai up to her office again.

"You did well," Tsunade complimented. "The anesthetic you used was for a person with regular chakra flow, wasn't it?"

"A little stronger," Torunai confessed, "I heard how he fought against Gaara and knew he used chakra in someway, even if he can't mold it into jutsu. I was right, as it normally only takes ten seconds for someone with gennin levels of chakra to pass out."

"And the other needles?" Tsunade asked.

"I wasn't sure how fast his chakra would absorb it, so I prepared extra."

"You are thinking like an eisei-nin, I like that." Tsunade said. "Did the pervert offer to take you as an apprentice?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Torunai shrugged, "More accurately he hasn't asked me."

"Then I would like to take you on as my own apprentice," Tsunade said, "I taught Shizune everything I could, and when I saw the methods you used to train Tenten in chakra control I saw a bit of her in you. However you need to show me that it would be worth it. In the morgue there is shinobi with crushed legs, much like Lee's were. If you can repair them using the advanced shousen jutsu I used today, you will be my apprentice."

Torunai gulped then bowed in respect. Tsunade dismissed her after giving her the file for the corpse. Torunai read over the name and noticed it was one of the Konoha gennin that took part in the second exam. His legs were crushed by a douton jutsu during the last mission. He took his own life in the hospital after they told him about his legs.

Torunai practiced the seals as she went down to the morgue remembering the flow and adding the extra seal. Her chakra began to spin faster and faster then it turned magenta, just like Tsunade's did. But then it faded to blue as it took the shape of the rasengan. Torunai knew there and then that it would be difficult.

**A month later**

Torunai had been struggling with the advanced shousen-jutsu for little over two weeks before she finally got the control correct. And as promised, Tsunade took her on as an apprentice. Torunai hadn't seen that many books since she was in the library. Twenty percent of the books Torunai already knew by heart. Torunai was working on her chakra control when Tenten dropped down beside her.

"Tsunade-sama asked me to come and get you." Torunai frowned since the Hokage told her to work on her control. Tenten then added, "It's urgent."

Torunai took the express shunshin route taking Tenten with her.

"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me?" Torunai asked when they entered the office.

"Yes," Tsunade said then turned serious. "Gennin Uchiha Sasuke was released from custody yesterday, some fools in the counsel believed the bullshit story he spun them at his hearing. Not even four hours after his release, he abandoned the village. I send Shikamaru with a squad of gennin out after him now I need a medical squad to assist the fallen shinobi. Torunai you are squad leader, your former teammate Amaru will be in second squad. Do you need anything?

"Medical coma seals, one for every gennin and one for their opponent, just in case."

"Let's trade then, how many chakra extender seals to you have?" Tsunade asked. Torunai ghosted over her belt where her seals were.

"Fourteen Tsunade-sama" Torunai said unsealing them. Tsunade handed over twenty medical coma seals.

"You will be the only one in first squad qualified to use those seals. If you need to leave one of your squad with someone remember to leave a clone to activate the seals, a kage-buunshin, not a mizu-buunshin." Tsunade said firmly. "You know how dangerous these seals can be for the untrained." Tsunade nodded at the door, Torunai and Tenten turned around.

"Your first squad will be Tenten, Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino. They all put hours in at the hospital and can at least administer first aid. Second squad will be higher ranked eisei-nin." Tsunade handed Torunai a map with a red circle around Rice Field Country, the destination Sasuke was heading in.

**End of Chapter**

**Yes I know I'm an evil girl leaving you hanging here, but I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going after the Sasuke retrieval arc so this way I still have a foot to stand on for the next chapter. Thank you for all the people who read/reviewed/marked as favorite/added to story alerts.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The Sasuke retrieval arc is next along with it we'll see Torunai seeking companionship, probably. Also I never resolved the book Kakashi gave Torunai. It is 'Huntress' by 'Malinda Lo'. On a side note I did a sketch of Hanabi that I posted on deviantART and signed as Torunai. Now onto the next chapter:**

Chapter 7 

Torunai ran through the streets of Konoha in to gather the squad she had to take with her. Tenten went to the Hyuuga district to get Hinata while Torunai took the opposite direction to the Yamanaka flower shop and Haruno sweets. Torunai burst in the flower shop and saw her former sensei behind the counter.

"Inoichi-sensei!" Torunai exclaimed, the man acknowledged her. "Is Ino home? Hokage-sama gave me an urgent, medical mission and she has first aid knowledge."

"I'm here," Ino said before her father could call her. "What's this mission about?"

"I'll explain after we get Sakura and Hinata." Torunai said then turned to Inoichi, "Thank you sensei."

Sakura was walking out her parent's shop when Torunai grabbed her arm in the run. When Sakura got over her shock she ran along side Torunai, a glance at Ino told Sakura to not ask why yet. They reached the gate at roughly the same time as Hinata and Tenten. Torunai unsealed several medical pouches and handed them out.

"Our mission is to assist the squad that went after Uchiha Sasuke." there was a collective gasp from the three girls. "He was released from containment and almost instantly ran from the village towards the sound village up north. I have given each of you a pouch with standard medical supplies and in each there are some specialist supplies."

"Ino," Torunai turned to the blonde. "In your pouch are injections developed by the Akimichi clan to counteract their unique soldier pills. When we reach Chouji I will leave a kage-buunshin with you if you require any more advanced help."

"Okay!" Ino said not wanting to disrupt her father's student.

"Hinata," Torunai turned to the pale eyed girl. "I did research on the Hyuuga clan and gathered supplies to assist them as best as possible. I placed them in that pouch, when we reach Neji I will also leave a kage-buunshin with you." Hinata merely nodded.

"Tenten," Torunai turned towards the weapons expert. "You have more experience then the others, so I gave you the pouch I reserve for the Inuzuka clan and their companions. When we reach Kiba I will leave a kage-buunshin with you."

"Sakura," Torunai turned towards her former crush, "Shikamaru is the least likely to risk his life but I saw what his father is capable of so you have a difficult job. The Nara clan is very secretive but deadly. In your pouch is everything you'll need for the unknown, including the only thing that can help with shadow poisoning. A kage-buunshin will assist you if that's the case."

"I will go after Shino and Lee," Torunai said turning to the group in general. "Shino was part of the original group but Lee followed them after about an hour. I will take point and Hinata will take the rear. Ino will scout the left side right behind me and Sakura will scan right just before Hinata. Tenten will take center as she is the most skilled in projectiles."

The group took of to the north. Torunai sent chakra to her nose and eyes and kept an eye out for any signs of struggle. About twenty minutes of travel later they reached a pierced mud dome. It was just a flash but Torunai could swear she saw a spark of purple chakra. They found Chouji against a tree.

"Ino!" Torunai shouted then made a clone, she gave the clone a coma seal then continued on with the rest of the group.

The Torunai clone and Ino dropped down. Ino checked Chouji's pulse before sighing in relief. He was still alive. The clone couldn't say the same for Chouji's opponent. He was dead. The clone made her way to Ino who was busy cutting away the bandages on Chouji's arms and legs.

"He took the red pill, this is bad." The clone said before flashing through the seals for the shousen-jutsu. "Complete chakra depletion. Ino prepare four syringes, I'm not going into the names, but its two yellow, one blue and one green."

The clone widened the shousen-jutsu. Chouji had three broken ribs and a snapped tendon. He was lucky they found him when they did. Ino came over after preparing the syringes. Torunai took one of the yellow syringes and injected it directly into Chouji's chakra stream. She injected the blue serum into Chouji's heart and the green into his thigh. When Chouji's breath hitched Torunai injected the last yellow syringe.

"Chouji is out of danger, and my chakra is nearly depleted." The clone went on to instruct Ino in getting Chouji comfortable and stabilizing his internal injuries, a grim look on her face.

The others found Neji about ten minutes later and left a clone and Hinata behind. Hinata gasped when she realized where his wounds were most concentrated. The clone glanced around and noticed the spider webs. Hinata was attending to Neji's chakra exhaustion. The clone's eyes widened, Neji's opponent had six arms all with their own chakra network. The guy was dead but his body could be studied.

The clone dragged the body towards Neji's location, then helped Hinata clean and dress Neji's wounds. Just like before this clone wasn't made using a lot of chakra, so anything more then analysis was out of the question.

"Well the good news is that Neji will live." The clone said. "He has no broken bones and he didn't bleed out too much from the wound on his shoulder." What the clone didn't add was that it would be tight.

"Thank goodness, but…" Hinata started but stopped.

"Yes, it seems that his opponent found Neji's blind spot. I'll heal those to keep your clan's secret, but I'll need a chakra boost from you to do it." Hinata did just that and the clone healed the wounds on Neji's blind spot.

The next fighter that they found was Kiba. He just had a stab wound in his side, one he gave himself, but Akamaru was worse for wear. If it wasn't for Kankuro then Kiba would probably not have made it. Unfortunately that also meant that Suna took custody of the body, since Kankuro poisoned the phasing brothers.

The Torunai clone was given an abundance of chakra and several replenish pills. She set of working on Akamaru while Tenten attended to Kiba's wounds. Kankuro took to the side and watched the girls work. Tenten was able to perform a weak version of the shousen-jutsu, but it was enough to heal Kiba's wound.

The Torunai clone was having difficulties with Akamaru. The little dog had several broken bones, severe burns and extreme chakra exhaustion. The clone gave Kiba the cold shoulder when he came over to check on Akamaru. Torunai was no Inuzuka but she knew that Akamaru wasn't ready for their ultimate techniques. The clone ran out of chakra just after she placed a medical coma seal that would last for a week on the puppy, giving him time to heal.

Up front the real Torunai did a flip as she summoned Horu. She told the fox to rush to stand guard next to Akamaru. The fox was surprised to receive the honor, especially since it wasn't his specialty. He followed the new clone back to the site.

The next area was littered with fallen trees but the lazy genius Shikamaru only had a broken finger. From what Torunai could tell Temari did most of the work. Shikamaru probably just chased his opponent around with his shadow. The area wasn't without hope. The sound kunoichi was still alive. Before Torunai left the area, with Temari insisting on accompanying her, Torunai prepared a medical coma seal to last for three weeks and placed it on the girl.

"Sakura stay here with Shikamaru, wait for the back-up team and get the prisoner to Konoha, she's to be taken to Tsunade-sama directly. If someone tries anything flip them the bird and say you're following direct orders."

Temari snickered as she jumped after the fiery red head. Torunai unsealed a medical pouch and tossed it back to Temari.

"I believe you know basic first aid?" Torunai asked.

"Being Kankuro and Gaara's sister I know a bit more then that. Kankuro is still an idiot when it comes to Gaara." Temari answered attaching the pouch to her battle dress.

The next area was a sea of bone. Gaara and Lee were floating on a sand platform looking for a place to land.

"What happened?" Torunai asked.

"We rode the attack out. All signs of life are gone from our opponent and he buried himself under the bones." Gaara said flatly.

"Any injuries?" Torunai asked.

"Other then our pride, there are no injuries." Gaara said attempting to make a joke.

Torunai gave a courtesy laugh then instructed Gaara to hold Lee there while she goes after Shino and Sasuke. Temari followed the girl until they reached the 'Valley of the End', there Shino has just been defeated and Sasuke looked like he had a light jog.

"Temari, take Shino and go treat his injuries back with Gaara and Lee." Torunai looked straight into Sasuke's eyes while she said this. "I'll send a clone back with you to run diagnostics." A pop of smoke appeared and the clone took hold of Shino and they doubled back.

"So Konoha send their little pet after me?" Sasuke smirked. "And here I thought you'd be more of a threat."

"My mission was to assist the injured, but since they couldn't bring you to your senses, I have to intervene, just like in Wave." Torunai spat out. "I will kill my heart and do what must be done."

Red chakra seeped out of Torunai as she took off her shirt to reveal wrappings and several weights. She took them all of and put her shirt back on. She knew that, with the curse seal, Sasuke was formidable opponent and she couldn't underestimate him. From the look in his eyes, Sasuke was thinking along the same lines, however his actions spoke differently. They spoke of arrogance.

"If you want to take me back to that village, you have to kill me." Sasuke said wisps of smoke pouring out of the curse seal on his neck.

Torunai said nothing as she willingly allowed herself to be consumed by the evil chakra inside her. She got into a low stance and called Sasuke out. A vein throbbed beneath Sasuke's eye which, in Torunai's opinion, caused the seal on his neck to branch out all over his body. Torunai felt the chakra around her form a tail and a pair of ears, her vision turned shades of red looking through the chakra. She hated it. This was what nailed her animosity towards the fox.

Sasuke aimed to run when a stone forced him to rethink that plan. The stone was a once part of the Shodaime's hair. Sasuke turned around and charged at Torunai over the water. Not waiting for the invite Torunai charged at Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to punch Torunai but the more agile girl ducked under the blow and hooked her arm around to get him of balance. When Sasuke tried to get his equilibrium back Torunai flipped around and used all her force and a variation of tree walking to drive Sasuke deep under the water at high speeds and hard onto the bottom.

Sasuke coughed out his breath and struggled to get free to take another. Seconds later when Sasuke stopped struggling Torunai swam back to the surface dragging him up with her. Sasuke was only semi-unconscious, and as soon as he got to the surface and regained some oxygen he punched the girl across the water.

"You psychotic bitch!" Sasuke shouted before taking another breath, "You could've drowned me!"

"Could've, should've, would've." Torunai shook her head, "Those mean nothing to me."

Sasuke forced his body into the second stage of the curse seal. Seeing the transformation Torunai couldn't help but laugh.

"Now the outside resembles the gay inside!" she chuckled, "Are you born with it, or are you using Maybelline?"

Sasuke's response was a fist to what he thought was Torunai's face. However what he hit was the Madara statue. Torunai slipped under his punch and was now standing behind him kunai to his throat. Sasuke smirked as he unfurled the bat-like wings on his back knocking Torunai away from him.

"Oh my gosh!" Torunai chuckled again, "Its Fairy Sasuke!"

Sasuke growled and placed some distance between him and Torunai. Torunai knew what he was trying and had the perfect counter, she just wondered if it would work. Sasuke worked his way through the seals and grabbed his hand to accompany the weight that the chidori would add to it, he was slightly worn out from his battle with Shino so he had to end this fast. Torunai held her hand to the side and forced the evil chakra around her into her hand spinning it then adding more power to harden it and speed to keep it in place. She now held a rasengan formed from evil chakra.

Sasuke charged at the girl at great speeds, Torunai knew she couldn't match that speed so she just braced herself keeping the rasengan ready. The chidori connected with the rasengan and exploded on impact encasing the two in a dome of black chakra. Inside the dome Sasuke pushed pass the rasengan and pierced a hole through Torunai's torso. Torunai's eyes widened, she couldn't believe she allowed an opening like that. The rasengan pulsed a few times before it exploded, causing more harm to herself and ripping Sasuke in half. After that there was only darkness.

**Two weeks later**

Torunai's eyes opened to a sea of white. She knew this place well, how could she not? She helped out in this place when she was still under tutelage and occasionally she still helped out here. She was in the hospital in the ICU.

Turning her head she noticed a montage of flowers some candies and two cards. She reached out and noticed her hands felt like lead. She pulled her hand back and did a self diagnosis, a slow healing lung and bruised ribs. Lastly she found traces of chakra poisoning. That explained the lead-like arms.

Torunai reached over and took the cards. The first one was from Ino, it read:

_ Thank you for saving my teammate._

_ Tsunade-sama said that if you didn't give Chouji _

_ the shots when you did, then she wouldn't have been_

_ able to save him. You also inspired me to work hard_

_ and become a medic just like you. When second squad_

_ arrived they took Chouji back to Konoha and your clone_

_ just vanished so I couldn't thank her properly._

_ Recover soon, _

_ Your friend Ino_

Torunai noticed the extra spirals in the kanji and it was slightly scented, she shook her head. Ino couldn't feel that way about her, could she? They barely knew each other. Torunai turned her attention to the other card, it was from Hanabi.

_Hi I hope you feel better soon, Hinata-nee-san told _

_ me what you did for Neji-san, thank you for that._

_ If word got out about that, our clan will be in danger._

_ When you get out, maybe we can spend another day_

_ in the onsen, it was fun the last time._

_ Love_

_ Hanabi_

Torunai heard the door open, and turned to see Shizune enter. She inclined her head with a smile at the older woman. Shizune smiled back but didn't say anything yet. Shizune went about her business to add a layer of healing to Torunai and drag some of the poisoned chakra out.

"How bad is it Shizune-san?" Torunai asked when Shizune picked up the chart.

"You'll live thanks to your natural healing ability." Shizune said knowing well enough that Torunai didn't want to know about herself. Torunai gave her a look that said she wasn't amused.

"Okay," Shizune finally caved. "You did all the right stuff at the right time, but it was difficult. Neji was slowly being poisoned by the open wound and it was only a miracle that he survived the surgery. He's recovering at his clan compound." Shizune pointed to a box of hard sweets, "Those came from him."

"Chouji is alive but hasn't woken up yet, the chakra treatment and cell retardant you administered slowed collapse of his muscles long enough for second squad to get him to the hospital and get him proper treatment."

"Kiba suffered from hypothermia and from what I heard you didn't help matters with your cold shoulder. The flowers came from Hana as a thank you for saving Akamaru's life."

"Lee comes here on a daily basis to check up on you, he carried you here. As for Shino, his clan took him before he got to the hospital. They informed us he was recovering. Shikamaru refused treatment for his broken finger, something about deserving it."

"And the last one? Sasuke?" Torunai asked noticing Shizune didn't plan to mention him. Torunai gave her another look, "Shizune, the whole thing was about that traitor."

"We only found his lower body. There wasn't even a trace of his upper body, which is strange. We believe someone took that part to him, or what was left of it, including the sharingan."

Torunai sighed and reached out to take a piece of hard candy. Shizune left the room turning out the light. It was then that Torunai realized it was night.

The next day Torunai woke to the sound of shuffling feet. She cracked open an eye and noticed a pair of caterpillars getting ready for a battle. When reality hit she realized it was Lee standing next to her bed watering the flowers.

"Shinobi is supposed to be quiet at all times," Torunai giggled.

"I apologize for waking you fair maiden." Lee said bowing his head.

"Lee you know me, we were in the orphanage together. You, Tenten and me." Torunai said dismissively, "How can you forget someone with blood red hair and golden eyes? Call me Torunai, like you used to."

"But that would…" Lee started but stopped when he felt a chill run up his spine.

"She's right you know," Tenten said from the doorway.

"Tenten-san, I wish you would stop doing that." Lee said before adding, "It is most un-youthful."

"Are you trying to be teacher's pet Tenten?" Torunai laughed. Tenten joined it.

"So I got the scoop," Torunai said after calming down: "Apparently everyone is saved but their mission failed after I killed Sasuke. Sorry about that, Lee."

**A week later**

Torunai was discharged the day after she woke and went through a session of torture known as rehabilitation. She found that she had an extra dosage of chakra, doubling her reserves. She has been training to control it again. She was currently at high chuunin level and ready to face the world again.

Torunai wondered through town with no fixed destination planned. She had a light brunch at Ramen Ichiraku's, then went to one of the public parks for some reading, she wanted to get started on that book Kakashi gave her. A chapter into the book, Torunai felt she would enjoy it completely. That was when a voice interrupted her reading.

"Kaede or Taisen?" the voice asked as it sat down next to Torunai.

"What?" Torunai asked turning to the source of the voice it was Ino.

"Are you like Kaede or Taisen?" Ino asked again smiling.

"I guess I'm more like Kaede. I like the hands on approach she has." Torunai said putting the book down, "But then again I just started reading it. What about you, are you like shy little Taisen?"

"No!" Ino answered too fast, a blush escaping onto her cheeks. "I mean I was one of the founding members of Sasuke's fan club." Torunai looked at Ino skeptically.

"Did you enjoy the book then?" Ino got a far away look in her eyes.

"It spoke to me in ways I couldn't believe." Ino seemed to register what she said. "Okay so maybe I like girls to, who are you to judge."

"I'm not judging," Torunai said then tried to say something else but Ino interrupted by kissing Torunai on the lips.

"Thank you for saving Chouji, he is the only other gennin on my team and I'll need him for the next exam." Ino stopped when Torunai gave her a look, "Okay so I see him as a friend. A good friend."

Ino got up and walked away, the kiss lingering in her mind. Torunai's lips tasted like strawberries. For Torunai it was somewhat similar, she might not have registered the taste of Ino's lips, but the kiss was unexpected and confused her because it made the card Ino sent even more confusing.

Torunai just wanted to get back to reading when Amaru showed up and told her the Hokage was looking for her. Torunai sighed then sealed the book into her belt and went to Tsunade's office.

"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?" Torunai asked when she entered.

"Yo were under tutelage of the original Ino-Shika-Cho group?" it wasn't a question, but Torunai still nodded. "We extracted all we can from the bodies of the three dead shinobi from Oto. We are having, difficulties, with the red haired girl that you placed in that medical coma seal."

"You had the best on her?" Torunai asked to which Tsunade nodded, "What can I do Hokage-sama?" Torunai didn't like the grin Tsunade had on her face.

"You are going to do a little infiltration into the prison, under a third party henge. You have to get her talking by any means necessary. May I suggest seduction, since everything else failed?"

"Why me, Hokage-sama?" Torunai asked swallowing hard.

"Two reasons," Tsunade smiled, "One you are the only kunoichi with enough chakra to maintain the remote henge. And two, you are the only one I trust enough with this. It also helps that you like girls."

Over the next few minutes Torunai and Tsunade discussed Torunai's temporal appearance, and as it turned out the remote henge seal looked remarkably similar to a chakra the suppression seal, with just two small lines in separate directions.

The appearance the two settled on was that of a 14-year-old girl with short black hair and grey eyes. The girl looked remarkably similar to a young boy from Kusa that was in the chuunin exams, albeit a bit older. They chose the name Tsuitachi, as it seemed fitting.

Tsuitachi was dressed in rags when she was escorted to the prison, the charges was espionage. She struggled against her bonds when she was thrown into a cell with a red haired girl wearing an odd piece of clothing. Tsuitachi broke the metal and rushed the bars only to receive an electrical current when the she hit the closed door.

"You fucking piece of shit get back here and fight like a man you fucking pussy!" Tsuitachi shouted ignoring the electricity and actually bending the bars a bit before falling on her but in exhaustion.

"You got some mouth on you, bitch." The red head smiled. "I tried that same trick but the fucking bars always win in the end."

"Who the fuck are you?" Tsuitachi asked looking at the girl.

"Tayuya," the girl introduced herself. "And who the fuck are you?"

Tsuitachi measured the girl up for about a minute before answering, "Tsuitachi."

They shook hands.

"So what are you in for, Tsuitachi?" Tayuya asked.

"The pieces of shit in my team used me as a decoy during our spy mission. The fucking Konoha bastards slapped a seal on me and I can't mold chakra for shit." Tsuitachi lifted her shirt to show the seal between her breasts.

"Got me with the same shit." Tayuya actually took of her shirt to show the seal.

"What are you in for?" Tsuitachi asked eying Tayuya's breasts hungrily.

"I was ordered to bring a shit stain back to my village. We got side tracked by a group of annoying brats and I was caught of guard by a tree that knocked me out. Woke up in this hell hole." Tayuya said putting her shirt back on slowly.

Tayuya was just sitting down again when a force actually pushed the two girls into each other. Tsuitachi stole a glance and saw a chuunin level shinobi place to plates on the ground before locking the door again his buddy then lifted his hand of the seal.

"What the fuck was that?" Tsuitachi asked looking at Tayuya, but not lifting her hand from its position on her breast. Tayuya didn't seem to mind.

"I'd say that was dinner. The fucking bastards always use that seal to keep me away from the bars or when they come and get me for that tickle fest they call torture. It's fucking annoying." Tayuya said getting up to fetch the food. "Oh yeah, extra fucking goop."

"Fucking retards won't torture me. Apparently they have no need too seeing that I was caught in the act." Tsuitachi said taking the offered plate from Tayuya. "So what are they torturing you about, being too cute?" Tayuya smiled at that and felt her cheeks warm slightly.

"If it was only that." Tayuya said before starting to eat. Tsuitachi also dug in.

After the meal Tsuitachi felt the signs of strong sedatives pulling at her mind, she knew how to counter act it but couldn't risk alerting the chakra sensitive shinobi.

"I better not be fucking raped in the morning!" Tsuitachi shouted before falling unconscious. Tayuya was already out cold.

The next morning Tsuitachi did a quick inward check and confirmed nothing happened during the night. She turned and saw Tayuya still asleep the sedative must not have worked its way out of her system yet. Tsuitachi sighed as she got up and saw slob that was supposed to be breakfast. She picked the plates up and smelled them. It was clean of any chemicals.

"They only put that shit in at night." Tayuya's voice said croakily. Tsuitachi turned around.

They ate breakfast in silence then did some bodily exercises to at least keep their bodies from decaying. After that Tayuya initiated the next conversation.

"I noticed you looking at me, are you a dyke or something?" Tsuitachi just glared at Tayuya. Tayuya lifted her hands in defense, "It okay if you are, I am one too."

"What if I am, what's it to you?" Tayuya smiled she liked a rough lover.

"So what have you learned about this shitty village?" Tayuya asked throwing the tin plate at the bars.

"I'll trade you," Tsuitachi said throwing her own plate. "I'll tell you what I learned only if you tell me why you were ordered to obtain the shit stain. To be fair I'll go first." Tayuya nodded then leaned forward giving Tsuitachi a nice view down her shirt.

"After the chuunin exam rumors got passed around my village. So when the rumors got too much they sent my squad out." Tsuitachi pulled her knee up and gave Tayuya a good view of her nether regions. "The rumors were that Konoha had a secret jinchuuriki. I had to endure five fucking days of good behavior and uncovered a name of that preteen slut. Then those fuckers turned my hard earned intelligence over to the fucking Hokage."

"A jinchuuriki and you got a name? That's fucking bad," Tayuya took a breath. "Okay we had to bring the shit stain to Orochimaru who wanted his body for which ever fucking reason. Bastard is a fucking gay pedophile if you ask me. Then there was the other option if we failed to convince him to come willingly. Kill the fucker and take his eyes to Orochimaru."

"A name for a name then?" Tsuitachi smiled then went to sit next to Tayuya. She leaned in to whisper in Tayuya's ear. "Uzumaki Torunai."

"Uchiha Sasuke," Tayuya whispered back then turned to kiss Tsuitachi.

Tsuitachi smiled into the kiss and returned the favor. Tayuya reached up and cupped Tsuitachi's breasts. Tsuitachi moaned at the sensation then returned the favor by lifting Tayuya's shirt up and teasing her nipples. Tayuya was in ecstasy she didn't have a lover that found her sweet spot this fast before. Tayuya removed her shirt and sports bra quickly then tugged at Tsuitachi's.

Tsuitachi pulled her rags of in an instant then went to work on Tayuya's breasts, liking and nibbling at the nipples to harden them. She smiled as she sucked in the semi sweet taste of Tayuya's body.

Tayuya reached down to feel up Tsuitachi's sex but was stopped when she was thrown backwards. Tsuitachi was busy licking down her body and pulling her spats off. Tayuya's eyes stretched as electricity erupted from her lower body.

"Please, I want…" Tayuya moaned out, Tsuitachi got the hint and pulled her pants down then went to squad over Tayuya's chest while she enjoyed the sweet nectar the red head emitted from her sex.

Tsuitachi increased her pace as her breath hitched from Tayuya's advances. Unfortunately the bliss of two love starved kunoichi couldn't last. There was a slink and before Tsuitachi fell lifeless onto Tayuya's body.

"What the fuck are you doing numb nuts?!" Tayuya shouted as she was forced against the wall while her lover's corpse was dragged away unceremoniously.

"Stay back bitch," the guard warned as he locked the bars behind him. "Her country called for her death. So shut the fuck up and enjoy your stay, maybe I'll come back and finish what this bitch started tonight.

"Fuck you!" Tayuya was at the bars at super speeds and stole a kunai from the chuunin and slit her own throat, the crimson liquid flowed like a river and carried Tayuya's spirit to the next world.

Tsuitachi was dragged directly to the Hokage by her orders and dumped on the floor. After that the two chuunin vanished back to the prison. Tsunade pulled the kunai out of Tsuitachi's back and started to heal the wound. Tsuitachi faded into the smaller frame of Torunai who started to stir. A sad look on her face since she knew Tayuya took her own life.

**End of chapter**

**I wanted to end it there for now, since I won't be able to type anymore this week. So this will be continued in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**I ended the last chapter quite suddenly and it caused a bunch of questions. I hope to clear that up in this chapter. Now onto the next chapter:**

Chapter 8

Once her wound has healed completely Torunai sat up on the couch pulling her knees up to her chest and silently sobbing. She didn't even bother to get dressed or even registered when Tsunade covered her with the green jacket.

Tsunade nodded to the ANBU in the corner who vanished in a puff of smoke. Tsunade didn't speak, she couldn't. After she heard the information she sent word to the prison that Tsuitachi has to be brought to her office where she will be executed and sent back to her country. The idiot that worked at the prison took matters into his own hands and threw poisoned kunai into Torunai's lung. The door opened and in walked Yamanaka Inoichi, a blue folder in his hands and a confused expression on his face.

"Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked holding up the psyche report. "Why did you ask for this prisoner's evaluation?" Tsunade just nodded towards Torunai.

Inoichi stood dump founded until he noticed his former student's state. Realizing what Tsunade wanted, he set the blue folder down next to Torunai and helped the girl get dresses, like he used to do with Ino. With a nod from Tsunade he asked the ANBU to get him a glass of warm milk with a hint of honey. After Torunai finished her milk Inoichi rubbed her back while he handed her the file to read.

_Psyche Evaluation of Tayuya of Oto_

_Report by Yamanaka Inoichi_

_Yuunigatsu 13th_

_Special note:_

_Session started of rocky_

_Name: Tayuya_

_Age: 14_

_Birthday: Nigatsu 14th_

_Summary: _

_On the surface Tayuya seems like a strong confident girl with an extreme case of inappropriate language use. It was confusing at first but then it was discovered to be a coping mechanism to a scarring history. A deep fear of their village leader caused torture to be ineffective, thus the reason I was brought in._

_Sessions:_

_Tayuya was born in a country up north, where the Oto village now resides. The only known living family is her older brother, Arashi. Since the country was small it didn't need a hidden village according to the Daimyo. _

_Tayuya grew up playing ninja like most in that country. So when the snake moved in and offered them the opportunity, Tayuya took it with enthusiasm. It was a mistake she would soon regret._

_She was taken to the hidden village and thrown into a cell with others just like her, two girls, Kin and her older sister Mitsukai. The first day after their arrival they were taken to an arena where they were told to kill or be killed. Tayuya took fourteen lives that day, working with Kin and her sister._

_Only a handful of survivors were left and they were taken a bit deeper into, let's call it circles. That night the girls who survived were tied down and given to every guy who survived. They were raped over and over again, monitored then raped again until they fell pregnant._

_After giving birth the girls were given another test while their children were taken to be experiments. It was at this time that Tayuya started showing signs of her coping mechanism. Over the next few months Tayuya flew up in ranks and got a reputation amongst her piers._

_She was working on a plan to get close to the leader who has yet to reveal himself, and kill him. So when she reached the seventh circle she finally met the fabled leader. He bit every one of them in the neck and gave them the curse seal. There were a lot of survivors but the numbers dwindled. _

_Tayuya began a relationship with Mitsukai when they got through the first stage of the curse seal and moved on to the next circle. They both survived the next phase of the curse seal in a similar fashion and their relationship grew._

_Then the day happened three years ago, Orochimaru's body was busy failing and he needed a new, younger body. The fate landed on Mitsukai, but it seemed that Orochimaru couldn't completely take the girl over at first. Orochimaru then formed the Oto four, the best of the best. Tayuya fell amongst them, and though she still hated Orochimaru she had a feeling she could save her lover if she protected the snake._

_Over the next three years she did everything she could to try and save Mitsukai but as the time went on Mitsukai faded completely but Tayuya was still not strong enough to take on Orochimaru, but she knew a way she could kill him, when his body began to fail again._

_Unfortunately that was where I couldn't probe any deeper as her mental barriers were to tightly sealed, and literally ejected me out of her mind. I recommend a different approach. _

_Conclusion: _

_Tayuya is likely to relapse into depression due to any number of circumstances that effected her past, giving birth at the age of ten, having a lover ripped from her and failing to kill Orochimaru. I am surprised she lasted this long, quirks aside._

Torunai set the file down and the tears started to flow. Torunai used an empathy jutsu in order to find out how to socialize with Tayuya as it was completely undetectable. It gave Torunai enough insight but couldn't prepare her for the report.

"If things were different, I could've been her." Torunai said pulling her knees back up. "Do we know how Mitsukai looked?"

Tsunade turned to Inoichi who turned to the ANBU. The ANBU vanished and seconds later came back with a picture taken from the corpse of one Tsuchi Kin. The ANBU handed it to Torunai before looking at the Hokage. Tsunade nodded then the ANBU spoke.

"We believe the girl on the left with Tsuchi Kin is her sister Mitsukai."

Torunai looked at the picture and could easily see a slight resemblance between Tsuitachi and Mitsukai. She realized that that was perhaps the reason Tayuya opened up to her like she did, and also why she killed herself in spite the rape thread.

"Did you know Tsunade-sama?" Torunai asked with tears still flowing, Tsunade shook her head.

"I haven't even known about the existence of that picture until today." Tsunade said glaring at the ANBU.

"Why are there sedatives in the evening meals at the prison?" Torunai asked getting her fire back.

"At night time the prison reverts to skeleton staff so the prisoners that hold the biggest thread are sedated and the seals on their cells checked to make sure they still function." Tsunade stated. "The sedatives were specifically blended by me to wear off once the heart rate increased, meaning rape will be impossible."

"How does the seal work?" Torunai asked pleased, for now, about the sedatives.

"While active, if you don't wear a Konoha hitai-ate then it will force you against the wall or on the bed." Tsunade saw the gears turn in Torunai's head, "I will conduct an investigation as to how Tayuya was able to get the kunai from the chuunin."

"May I keep the report or a copy of it?" Torunai turned to Inoichi who nodded.

"That is a copy, you keep it, Tsuitachi." Inoichi already figuring out that Torunai was the mysterious kunoichi he saw being dragged through town.

Torunai made her way out of the office and to her apartment. She was acting tough as she walked, but inside she was an emotional wreck. She was just about to reach the confines of her home when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Girl troubles?" Tenten asked walking up to the girl.

"I'm not sure, I… its complicated," Torunai said turning to the girl, "And a class A secret."

"I see," Tenten trailed off then led Torunai in the opposite direction to her own apartment.

Once inside the building Tenten lead Torunai to the couch and left her there briefly to fetch some things in the fridge. She came back with soda, two spoons and a large tub of ice cream.

"Strawberry sorbet, its uses are infinite…" Tenten said handing Torunai a spoon.

"I thought you liked vanilla?" Torunai said raising an eyebrow, Tenten looked a bit sheepish.

"It's not the flavor it's the sentiment behind it. Now tell your onee-san what got you so sad."

Torunai broke down and cried into Tenten's shoulder. The older girl just stroked the red head's hair in a soothing fashion. She recalled a time long ago when they shared a room at the orphanage. Torunai had just asked another girl out and was criticized because of it. Back then they didn't have ice cream though.

When Torunai calmed down enough she told Tenten about her mission to into the prison as Tsuitachi and her brief moment with Tayuya before she was hauled away. Torunai left out the part where she was slowly being poisoned.

"…Tayuya then somehow broke free from the force seal and grabbed a kunai and slit her own throat." Torunai finished in between sobs.

"Your feelings might have been true but Tayuya thought she was making love to Tsuitachi." Tenten said after listening to the tale. "But do you really think that Tayuya would've except you if you revealed your true self?"

"Yes!" Torunai shouted then added more meekly, "maybe" but after thinking about it, "No she wouldn't have. Thank you Tenten, you are a real onee-san."

"What are gal-pals for?" Tenten smiled, "But I understand that you did get your heart broken so…" Tenten shoved a scoop of ice cream into Torunai's mouth. The girls laughed after that and spent the night eating and drinking away Torunai's heartache.

**Two days later**

Torunai slept in the day after she and Tenten spend the night together then went back to duty at the hospital. There weren't any one she knew but she kept busy all the same. Torunai was walking to the nurses' station when a rushing in the hall caught her attention. She jogged to get to the gurney and the people gathered around it. Torunai peered down and saw tufts of blood surrounded by a lot of blood.

"What happened?" Torunai demanded from Chouji who she just noticed from his position behind the gurney.

"She was caught in between a cluster of kunai with explosive tags. She couldn't get out before it exploded." Chouji said softly.

Torunai shoved the leading medic out of the way and performed the shousen-jutsu. The man didn't seem to mind. Her hands glowed green as she scanned Ino's insides. She found only a few broken bones besides the obvious abundance of blood. Torunai shifted her chakra and the glow chanced t yellow. Within minutes the wounds were gone freeing Torunai to focus on the bones. She shifted her chakra again turning it magenta, sure it might be considered over use but it heals the bones faster.

"She's safe but keep her under observation for the night." Torunai said to the leading medic who nodded in response.

"She'll be sore for a few days but she's healed." Torunai said as she passed Chouji. "I'm getting lunch, want some?"

Chouji smiled a grateful smile and followed the girl out the building and down the street to Ichiraku's. While they enjoyed the meal Torunai asked the question that bothered her since she received the card from Ino.

"Chouji, what is your opinion about Ino's sexuality? Personally I'm receiving mixed signals."

"Honestly, I don't know." Chouji answered truthfully. "I know she was chasing after Sasuke, but I saw her do things to the other fan-girls that suggested the whole fan-girl angle was just a ruse." Torunai nodded then ate the rest of her lunch in silence. Ino was turning into an enigma and Torunai liked puzzles.

The next day Torunai was just walking through town. Tsunade has banned her from the hospital for a few days claiming she over did it with one of the patients. That was the official story. The truth was Tsunade wanted Torunai to rest after the infiltration mission and she won't find rest at the hospital.

Torunai stopped at the sweet shop she took Hanabi the first day they 'hung out' and got herself a soda. She smelled the red bean paste and got a bad vibe from it, almost like it contained an extra ingredient, alcohol.

As Torunai rounded the corner a little girl bumped into her. From her height and the smell of lilies Torunai concluded it was Hanabi. Torunai smiled as she opened her eyes and saw she was right.

Hanabi was positively glowing, she had been looking for Torunai for a while now, ever since she found out the girl was discharged from the hospital. Hanabi didn't give Torunai time to respond before she dragged her away.

"I think I'm like you," Hanabi said when they were away from wondering ears.

"I don't understand," Torunai said fearing she might have corrupted the younger girl.

"I took a hard look at the little life that I had and realized I found boys disgusting and I can't ever see myself with one, but girls I can see myself with." Hanabi stated as if this was a natural thing.

"It isn't uncommon for someone…" for the second time that month Torunai was silenced by a girl kissing her. With Ino she didn't kiss back, but for some reason she couldn't help her herself with Hanabi.

It might have been closed mouth, seeing that Hanabi was inexperienced, but the tingling traveling through her body had Torunai's world spinning. She smelled the sweet cinnamon on Hanabi's lips and added to that her own strawberry lip-balm.

"I think I love you Torunai." Hanabi sounded confused. Maybe she just needed someone to help her through it.

"I don't think so Hanabi-chan, but I will be there for you while you work out your true feelings, just like I had someone there for me." Torunai said then kissed Hanabi on the forehead. She then got a feral grin, "But first things first, I need to teach you how to kiss a girl and like it."

Torunai placed a hand on the girl and used a shunshin to get them to her apartment. She didn't need the Hyuuga on her case while she helped the young girl out. Torunai unlocked the door and followed Hanabi inside. Once there Torunai switched the kettle on, having spilled her cola when she bumped into Hanabi.

"I only have jasmine tea, is that okay?" Torunai said taking two cups from the shelf. Hanabi nodded. When the tea was ready Torunai sat down next to the girl and took hold of her hands.

"I haven't been in a real relationship myself yet so I don't exactly know how it works." Torunai said looking into Hanabi's eyes, "But I did have someone that helped me sort it all out. Firstly, tell me why do you think you like girls and how you came to that conclusion?"

"Well since I can remember," Hanabi started then took a deep breath rethinking her words. "I remember walking down the streets with one of the guards assigned to me and I noticed in one of the alleys a couple of girls kissing each other. It sent tingles through my body. I asked my father that night if it was strange that I found myself drawn to the kissing girls. He said it was unnatural and that I should forget it.

"The next few years I sat with my father as he interviewed suitor after suitor, not just for Hinata, but for me too. I remember thinking back to the girls kissing every time and tried to imagine myself kissing a boy in that way. It just didn't feel right. To me it felt unnatural.

"My father also interviewed girls for Neji and to pass the time I thought of them the same way and I didn't get sick of that idea, but like my father said it was wrong and I shouldn't pursue it, I couldn't help myself.

"After some time I fell into that ruse and started to believe that I imagined the whole thing. Then I met you when you looked in on Hinata-nee-san and I saw you looking at that nurse. My world started spinning and when we spent that day together it started falling into place again."

"I see," Torunai smiled, "The truth is Hanabi-chan you don't love me."

"What!" Hanabi shouted appalled. "I do so love you!"

"You have strong feelings towards me, I'll give you that." Torunai said then raised her hand when Hanabi wanted to retaliate. "I am currently the only lesbian you know. Combine that with the fact that I acknowledge you, and it creates the illusion of love."

Torunai wanted to kick herself. She was in Hanabi's predicament with Tayuya not that long ago. The little girl was just what she needed to snap out of the path she was about to take.

"That makes sense, but…" Hanabi bit her lip, "but will you go out with me, you know, just to make sure if it is really a strong feeling or something more." Torunai kissed Hanabi on the cheek then said playfully.

"Only after you learn how to kiss…"

**Two weeks later**

Torunai was sitting in Tsunade's office engaged in a glaring contest. The reason was that once again Tsunade was sending her on a mission that didn't play to her strengths. The mission was to protect a film crew while they made a movie in hostile territory. The mission itself didn't bother Torunai it was the jounin that had to accompany her and her team, who was currently two hours late for the debriefing.

"Hokage-sama, who are we waiting for?" Ino asked finally getting bored. She and Tenten were the two gennin on the team.

"We are waiting for Hatake Kakashi." Torunai sighed. She met the jounin twice and both times he seemed lax, but she didn't pick him for being tardy. Torunai turned to Tsunade. "Tell me why are you sending a medic team on protection duty again, Tsunade-sama?"

"Because there weren't any other available teams," Tsunade said rubbing her temples. Her hand was inching towards the hidden bottle of sake under her desk.

"Yo!" Kakashi said from the window.

"Finally," Torunai said then opened the scroll. "Our mission is to protect the actress Fujikaze Yukie. According to the client she started to run away from the set after hearing they would be filming her next movie in Yuki country. Our mission is to keep her safe and on the set." Torunai took a breath and rolled the scroll up and tossed it to Kakashi. "This team has been assembled using most of our strengths, besides being the last available shinobi. Ino is a Yamanaka and is capable of controlling bodies remotely, a talent that could proof helpful with a fleeing client. Tenten has developed a keen vision with her ranged weapons making her a great lookout. Plus she's a good cook if worst push comes to shove."

"And Torunai is an annoying brat that I just need out of town." Tsunade laughed chipping in. "But truthfully she has keen senses to assist Tenten and currently has the best medical knowledge aside from me and Shizune. Her former teammate only lacks the chakra reserves to be Torunai's rival."

"Moving on," Torunai sighed, "Hatake Kakashi has been to Yuki Country before and is a combat specialist, making him the first line of defense. The mission is more along the lines of a C- or B-rank, but the client has paid for an A-rank. Failure is not an option on this mission no matter what and since it is going to take place far from Konoha, there will not be a back-up team available."

"The client has also requested we meet them a few towns down," Kakashi said having read the full mission scroll. "If we leave tonight I'll sponsor you all to the current movie starring Yukie-san, while we wait for the client to arrive."

The girls all nodded then went their separate ways to go pack or in Torunai's case say goodbye to here sort of girlfriend. Since her first mission out of town Torunai had gotten into the habit of keeping a few sets of clothes permanently sealed into four seals, one seal for each season.

While walking to the Hyuuga compound Torunai checked the content of each of the seals to make sure they were fully stocked. She frowned when her hand passed over a seal she couldn't remember ever using. She unsealed the content then felt the pull on her blood from one of the mini kunai. Then it hit her, this was the Russian Roulette, she smiled at the fact that it belonged to her mother once. Torunai was still reminiscing over the set of kunai when she reached the Hyuuga compound just as Hanabi was walking out.

"Oh hey Hanabi-chan, I got a present for you." Torunai said resealing the kunai and took a package out of her medical pouch.

"What is it?" Hanabi asked when as they walked out of earshot of the Hyuuga compound.

"Well I'm going on a mission for a few weeks, maybe months, so I got you a little something." Hanabi opened the package and her eyes stretched wide.

The package had three things inside a beautifully crafted mahogany case. The first thing was obvious it was a miniature golden kunai with a ruby handle on a silver necklace. The second thing was a set of golden shuriken earrings. And lastly was a scroll with gold trimming, the kanji on the side said 'Silk Kimono'.

"I don't know what to say…" Hanabi was amazed, "You made these yourself?"

"How did you guess?" Torunai wanted to surprise Hanabi with that fact. She melted some of the treasures the Sandaime gave her, coming from Gotou's mansion after their mission there, and shaped them using the principles of chakra manipulation.

"There aren't jewels like this anywhere in Konoha or even a day's journey away. Believe me, I checked." Hanabi giggled. Torunai gave Hanabi a kiss on the forehead and bit her goodbye. Hanabi asked her to be careful on the mission and return in one piece.

**The next day**

The team sat in a town in Fang country waiting for the client to arrive, they arrived there the previous night and as Kakashi said he sponsored them for the movie, Torunai found herself attracted to the character of their charge, but she sensed something was off about the actress.

The weather was also starting to get chilly and Torunai opted for her winter clothes already. It was still thin enough to move in unrestricted but it had several seals, created by her mother, to keep the wearer warm.

Torunai's clothes consisted of ankle-length spats and thick leather boots covered by her leg warmers and a shirt that sat more like a cocktail dress, reaching her mid thighs. The sleeves still hung low over her hands. The only real difference was that Torunai sealed her belt in favor for tight cloves with twenty seals each. Her weapons and medical supplies in her right glove everything else in her left. Lastly Torunai wore her chuunin flak jacket like she agreed to, outside the village.

Tenten wore longer, warmer versions of her normal outfit also with leather boots, but Ino had the most drastic change. She wore a figure hugging, white, ski outfit with a hood. She also wore a pair of purple tinted glasses as she couldn't part with that color completely.

It was near noon, when Kakashi showed up, seemingly surprised that the girls were still there. He only wore a scarf with a set of boots against the cold. Kakashi took in the girl's appearance then asked the question that was on his mind.

"Why isn't the client here yet?" the girls all glared at the jounin. He excused himself to go get the client and it seemed that he just remembered that. "Oh yeah, I went to get them…"

A rumble was heard before a beautiful woman cleared the fence behind them. Seconds later the gate burst open and a squadron of mask wearing men on horseback rushed after the woman.

"That would be our client and charge now…" Kakashi said as he jumped down from the fence. He looked around but the girls were gone.

Torunai instructed Ino and Tenten to head off the squadron while she went after Yukie. As they split up Torunai went for higher ground. Reaching the highest point Torunai sent her chakra out looking for any sign of their charge. There was a flash of multiple colors and Torunai instantly knew it was Yukie. Torunai swirled into existence some ways away from the stream Yukie and her horse rested.

"You handle that horse well," Torunai said standing behind the woman.

"Who the hell are you?" Yukie asked not really caring.

"My team and I were hired as body guards while you film on the hostile grounds of Yuki Country." Torunai said blankly. "Personally I don't mind not going, I would rather be home with my girlfriend, but as it turns out neither of us can get what we want."

"I… wait you are only a little girl!" Torunai smiled she knew which button to push to get the actress of balance. A clone injected Yukie with a sedative while Torunai distracted her.

Torunai swung the actress over the horse and walked next to it leading them back to the gate where they she would meet her team. She hated drugging the actress but she didn't want to go on a chase that could last all day. Torunai arrived and saw only Kakashi waiting.

"Where are the others?" Torunai asked making sure her charge was comfortable.

"They are with the client, what did you do to Yukie?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"Injected her with rohypnol, I wasn't looking for a long chase." Torunai said flatly, "Besides she smells good, I didn't want to make her sweat." Kakashi nodded his head, but decided to stay not get on the bad side of this medic. He led Torunai to the ship that would lead them to Yuki Country.

**End of chapter**

**I'm ending the chapter here since the next arc would clash with the general theme of this chapter. So far this is the shortest chapter I wrote, 4, 361 words. The next chapter will be focused on the Yuki country, the Snow ninja and the rainbow glaciers. **


	9. Chapter 9

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The last chapter ended with the start of a new arc, Torunai and her team is on their way to Yuki Country. Now onto the next chapter:**

Chapter 9

Torunai woke to a gentle sway, it took merely seconds for her to remember where she was. Torunai sighed as she got up. A ship with civilians isn't really a good place to train. Torunai went up on deck where she would meet with her team. Kakashi took the last watch while Torunai took the first.

"Morning, sempai." Torunai greeted the jounin.

"Morning, how did you sleep?" Torunai just gave him a look. "The others would be up soon, how about a warm-up spar, out on the water of course. We don't want to injure the civilians."

"Since you insist." Torunai bowed, "How good are you with a bou?" Torunai asked unsealing two from her right glove.

"I fare alright," Kakashi said catching a bou.

The two shinobi made their way on to the ocean surface and began their spar. The dull thump of wood against wood was heard throughout the quiet ocean. Unfortunately that was when Torunai felt something she dreaded above all else. Someone was watching her through a lens.

"Kakashi-san, this spar is over. I don't like being in front of a camera." Torunai stated forming a hand seal that caused the bou's to disappear.

"The crew is awake then," Kakashi said, his ANBU training agreeing with Torunai.

The two made their way back to the ship and gently explained to the director that as ninja they aren't meant to be filmed. The director, begrudgingly, agreed to cut out the footage of their spar.

A scream alerted them that Yukie was awake and not happy being trapped on a ship. At least she won't risk swimming to the nearest shore. The shinobi stood near the one side of the ship, the other side was made up to look like an old ship.

Ino made a comment about how boring the mission was, Kakashi explained to her that most A-ranked missions were a bit boring, but it allowed one to reflect on their training and that there were always the chance that there could be enemy shinobi.

Their charge was also starting to annoy all of them with her diva attitude. They almost forgot all of that when the cameras started to roll and she appeared to do a 180, but then she needed to cry and the diva was back. Torunai's eye twitched in annoyance but her training wouldn't let her act out.

The film was shot on the ship for the next couple of days and each morning Kakashi and Torunai sparred with a different weapon until the crew woke up. Then they just stood around while the film was being shot.

On the fifth day a young man bearing a striking resemblance to Lee and Gai rushed through the lower decks stressed out because there was a huge island of ice in their way. The director saw something else, a perfect spot to shoot a scene.

Torunai took a perimeter watch while Kakashi had Tenten and Ino guard Yukie. Torunai stood on a cliff and let her chakra flow, her sensing ability had jumped in leaps and bounds since she started. Torunai guessed it was because of the chakra control training she did.

Near the end of the island Torunai felt something weird, her chakra was actually being pushed back. As she and Kakashi agreed, instead of the normal whistling custom with Konoha shinobi, they would give a fox-like bark if there was something that the other should know about. Torunai was confused so she barked to let Kakashi know. He let out a low growl which Torunai picked up with her chakra enhanced ears. She opened her eyes, still glowing, and went to investigate. She activated her camouflage and used chakra to stay on top of the snow.

She noticed three shinobi wearing strange armor walking towards the place where they were filming she gave an audible growl then used the henge to change into a white fox. The biggest of the shinobi saw the fox and wanted to kill it for fun, but his pink haired teammate said it would attract too much attention.

Torunai in fox form ran towards Kakashi. She sent chakra to her eyes making them glow indicating the arrival of the foreign shinobi. Kakashi nodded and jumped in front of the camera.

"Everybody, get back to the ship now!" he yelled as Torunai changed back to her normal self.

"Tenten use a short range steel weapon, or if you have iron even better, protect Yukie. Ino cover the crew as they make their way to the ship!" Torunai shouted going into her doctor mode.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to protect Koyuki-hime this time, Kakashi." A new voice said from a nearby ledge.

"What is an ugly bastard like you doing here, Nadare?" Kakashi asked in a lazy voice, but Torunai saw the readiness in his eye.

The large man got on a board and shot straight at Tenten and Yukie, now revealed as Koyuki. Torunai was confident in her friend's abilities so she turned her attention to the third member of the team, the woman with pink hair.

Torunai was just about to attack when the woman took to the sky. With her glowing eyes Torunai actually saw a trail of chakra keeping the woman airborne she sighed as she only half heartily dodged the growing ice prisons.

In a flip Torunai did the combined seal for kage-buunshin while her hands were separate on the ground. She switched places with the clone that appeared just outside the pink haired kunoichi's view and unsealed a bow and arrow. Each arrow had a different tag wrapped tightly around the shaft. Torunai analyzed the details she had and picked an arrow with a chakra disruption seal and fired it at the flying kunoichi.

The arrow it self did nothing to the armor, like Torunai knew it wouldn't, but it did, for the briefest instant, create an opening for a follow-up attack. Torunai was about to test that theory when she felt the ground rumble beneath her feet. She blew the stunned kunoichi a kiss then created an army of clones to pick up the people still running to the ship.

Just as the last piece of the island sank, Torunai made it unto the ship. Ino embraced Torunai in a hug while Tenten asked question after question that Torunai couldn't answer. When Kakashi came aboard Torunai turned the most important questions unto him.

"Who was that Nadare guy and what did he call Yukie, Koyuki-hime?"

"Ten years ago I was sent on a mission to Yuki Country." Kakashi started then nodded towards the door leading to the director's office.

"The country was in a panic when rumors started that an unknown enemy was trying to take over the country. I was sent to investigate the rumors and muffle them if it turned out to be untrue. Unlucky for the country the rumors were true. A man named Dotou, the daimyo's brother, assembled disgraced Kiri-nin and developed the chakra armor before they killed the daimyo. I was able to only save one person that night, the daimyo's daughter Koyuki. It seems that she grew up and took another name."

Torunai sighed. She was actually hoping for a quiet mission, she wanted to work on chakra control. Torunai then turned to the quiver and studied the arrows inside. Sure she didn't use them regularly, but sometimes they were useful. Torunai unrolled all the seals she rolled on them before.

She studied the seals more closely then shook her head. She only vaguely registered the ongoing conversation, but couldn't care less. Torunai took a flint out of her medical supply pouch, she couldn't figure out how to seal it yet, but it was handy if you were wind/water type. She used the flint and a fair bit of wind chakra to burn all the seals. It caused a temporary halt in the conversation.

"What?' Torunai said sensing the eyes on her, "I'm not going to give these away or leave it to be found. They are, or rather, were seals I bought in Konoha and modified slightly."

Satisfied the conversion came back full swing. Torunai unsealed a book and a stack of blank strips of paper after the last of the seals were burnt. The book was theory only but then again Torunai understood how her mother's mind worked, when it came to seals at least.

After some reading, Torunai smiled and excuse herself, taking the paper and quiver with her. She went to the room she shared with Tenten and Ino and started drawing seals onto the paper. The goal of the new seals were simple, multiple disruption seals to hinder the chakra armor and a wind blade to pierce through the though material beneath the armor. The arrow heads themselves would soak in a bottle of fast acting poison.

"You are a strange little girl." Yukie or rather Koyuki said from the door.

"So they tell me regularly." Torunai said dropping the last arrow into the bottle of poison.

"Do you really think little pieces of paper would make a difference to your arrows?"

"Follow me," Torunai simply said grabbing the bow and unsealing a different quiver.

Once on deck Torunai made a mizu-buunshin, and gave it a makeshift shield, before sending it out on the water. Torunai drew an arrow with an exploding/wind blade seal and fired it on the clone. The arrow pierced the shield as far as the centre of the tag. It exploded mere seconds later leaving a giant wall of water.

"That is the power of a single tag, but it won't work if the shinobi wears chakra armor. That is why I recreated the seals back in the room, they will disrupt the chakra armor long enough for the wind blade to pierce the clothing and inject the poison into the body."

"But isn't there some kind of ninja magic that could defeat them in a single swoop?" Koyuki said sarcastically.

**Four days later**

There were no more incidents involving foreign shinobi for the rest of the trip to Yuki country and Torunai and Kakashi still sparred every morning. It was on this morning however that the weapon of choice was clones. It was a mixture of kage-buunshin and mizu-buunshin.

Ino looked from the porthole confused, she knew the different types of clones, but she never truly pondered about them. So she didn't understand why some of the clones burst into smoke while others turned to water.

"What's with the clones?" Ino asked when they got on the ship.

"Well Kakashi-sempai and I have been sparring every morning since we got on the ship, each day with a different weapon. Today however we used clones since I don't know how to use other weapons yet."

"I saw that," Ino said slightly down, "I was actually hoping you could tell me the differences."

"Of course," Torunai smiled then though of something, "Tenten do you also want to know the differences?"

"No thank you!" Tenten called looking up from sharpening a kunai, "Gai-sensei already told us."

"Okay then," Torunai noticed that Ino's eyes lit up at this, could it be that Ino found her attractive? Torunai filed it away for future reverence, for now she took Ino to the side to explain the theory behind the different clones and their pros and cons.

Just over an hour later the ship's captain announced their arrival at the docks of Yuki country. Torunai and Kakashi made clones to help the film crew unpack while Tenten and went with the director to get transport. Ino was to stay behind and guard Koyuki.

The convoy drove for hours before they had to abruptly stop due to a road block. It just seemed like a tree fell, but closer inspections revealed that there were no stumps anywhere near the location and there weren't any roots on the tree to indicate it uprooted.

Finally to make matters worse, Koyuki found an opening and ran away. Kakashi and Torunai shared a look. It was almost like a mental challenge with the two sizing each other up before they both decided that Torunai would track Koyuki while Kakashi held the fort.

Torunai used her chakra to push her muscles beyond their capabilities to jump unto higher grounds. Once she was over the valley Torunai pumped chakra into her senses, her eyes lighting up more then it usually did. Torunai could see wisps of rainbow chakra scattered over the land, nothing usable. Torunai then reached out with her senses finally finding the concentrated source of Koyuki's chakra.

Torunai couldn't risk to shunshin as she was unfamiliar with the terrain. Instead she focused her chakra to her eyes and legs and ran towards the source. She reached Koyuki struggling waist deep in the snow. Torunai waited until she saw Koyuki stumble before making her appearance.

"I like your perfume," Torunai smiled, "What is it? As a kunoichi I can't really wear the stuff, but it smells heavenly."

Koyuki glared at the 11-year-old, here she was trying to get away and a snot nosed brat with weird glowing eyes found her almost as if she was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. Something about that statement seemed strange then it hit her.

"I'll tell what perfume I'm wearing if you tell me why your eyes are glowing." Koyuki said taking the offered hand.

"Its n- a bloodline," Torunai said, she wanted say that her eyes weren't glowing but why would a stranger lie, she would look into it later. Torunai shifted Koyuki into a piggyback position and started walking, "Your turn."

"I'm wearing Jo Malone's Sakura," Koyuki said not really satisfied with Torunai's explanation about her eyes, but the girl seemed confused for a split second. "You know I'm going to keep trying to run away, don't you?"

"And because it's my mission I will keep on coming after you unless I die." Torunai said shifting Koyuki into a more comfortable position.

"Don't get any ideas girly," Koyuki joked as she felt Torunai's hands brush over her legs, "I might do those scenes in movies but I'm not into girls in real life."

"You're too old for me anyways," Torunai snapped back jokingly.

When they reached the cave they went through with the convoy before, Torunai felt a slight rumble under her feet. Her first instinct was to activate her camouflage, but that would be a problem because she was carrying Koyuki.

"We're going under the snow to hide." Torunai said while pumping some water natured chakra into the snow to allow them to submerge, a modified version of the Suirou-no-jutsu. She made the seals for it mentally.

Soon after they were hidden from view, Torunai felt a moving object approach. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was long and heavy. When the object passed Torunai released her technique and slowly followed it sticking to the shadows in the cave.

When they reached the other side of the cave, even Torunai had difficulty keeping her food down. Only the extensive interrogation training kept her head clear. More then fifty warriors were impaled by thousands of kunai. No human could throw that many in such a short time.

"Kakashi what happened?" Torunai asked creating numerous clones with enough chakra to heal people on the brink of death. Trouble is that she could only create ten without drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra.

"The local shinobi played chicken with us and won due to their kunai cannon." Kakashi said catching the first aid pouch Torunai threw to him and the girls. Koyuki was too shocked to move.

"So the cannon took care of the canon fodder, if this wasn't so serious I might've laughed at the irony." Torunai said moving to Sandayuu.

The efforts were useless even with the aid of eleven Torunai clones. The best Torunai could do was get Sandayuu comfortable to at least speak to Koyuki. Torunai herself went of to the side to speak with Kakashi.

"Who did this?" Torunai asked with a 'don't lie to me' attitude.

"It was her uncle, he was after some type of crystal." Kakashi said pulling out his book but then deciding differently.

"You mean the one I replaced on that first night on the ship," Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "The crystal has some kind of chakra in it that is similar to Koyuki's, unless her chakra somehow changed to match it over the years."

Kakashi nodded, it was a sound reason to want to keep it safe during the stay in Yuki country.

"Speaking of weird chakra, did you ever notice my eyes glowing?" Torunai asked.

"Yeah, and it freaks me out, but I won't worry too much about it." Kakashi said then paused when he saw Torunai's face, "I don't think it's genetic, but I did see another, you know jinchuuriki, who's eyes glowed."

"The bloody Habanero?" Torunai asked suspecting it was her mother.

"So you know about her?" Torunai nodded pointing at her hairclip. Realization dawned on Kakashi suddenly. "My apologies, I didn't really think you were related, I thought that you only shared a connection through it."

A scream alerted them of the arrival of a large airship. Dotou was back and he wanted Koyuki. Torunai reacted fast, slicing the metallic arm with a kunai with a chakra disruption seal and wind chakra. Koyuki fell into the snow followed by Torunai.

"I'm gonna be you for a bit okay?" Torunai whispered placing pre-made remote henge seals on Koyuki and herself. She gave Koyuki a kiss on the forehead, "Don't do anything I won't do." It was then that 'Koyuki' was snatched up again.

"Fucking crazy brat!" Koyuki in Torunai's body cursed.

"Torunai?" Tenten asked unsure.

"She took my place up there, taking my body and clothes." Her words caught up to her. "How the hell did she strip and redress me so fast?" Tenten frowned at that.

"Hold out any of your hands," Tenten asked carefully. She sent chakra into a seal and sure enough a kunai popped out.

"Torunai is safe," Kakashi said to the worried faces of Ino and Tenten. "Anko-san once told me that she has an emergency seal tattooed on her body somewhere with her original kunai pouch in." Kakashi gave a perverted laugh, "Apparently it is hidden inside a cute, naked, fox-girl."

When Koyuki moved a letter fell out of the chuunin flak jacket, the letter directed the gennin to the weapons Torunai were preparing after she finished the arrows. It said that there was no use in fighting if you didn't have a chance.

Torunai sat chained on a comfortable chair. She figured she'd find out what the leader of the Yuki-nin had to say before slitting his throat or giving him an enema using the rasengan.

"I am so sorry that it had to come to this," Dotou said not sounding the least sorry, "but we can't risk you trying to run away."

"Whatever," Torunai had spent enough time observing the real Koyuki to make a convincing fake. "What do you want, Uncle."

"Oh, calling me uncle are you?" Dotou laughed.

"Sarcasm is lost on you, isn't it?" Torunai said with a lot of malice, "Let's just get this over with so that I can get out of this god forsaken country."

"Oh so you have no love lost here?" Torunai just stared at Dotou like he grew a second head. "Very well, all I need is your crystal."

"This?" Torunai took the crystal out from under her clothes, luckily she switched it back. "Why the hell do you need this for," even as she spoke she took the necklace off and handed it to Dotou."

"What is this? Do you think I'm stupid?" Dotou screamed throwing the fake necklace against the wall where it broke.

"That fucking bitch!" Torunai screamed when the necklace broke. "She must've switched it while we were under that snow." Inwardly Torunai smiled, who said kunoichi can't act?

"You do know what we need to do right?" Dotou smiled. Torunai just gave him a blank look. "We're going to use you as bait to lure the shinobi to us.

When Torunai agreed to be the bait she never thought how far it would go. She was sitting in a cell with electric bars 'waiting' to be rescued. She only had the remote henge seal and the seal that used to hold her spare kunai pouch. It now held a large kunai with one of her modified chakra disruption seals.

Speaking the seal, Torunai was able to study the armor more closely and concluded that it was useless. It might disrupt the chakra barrier for a few seconds but as soon as the second phase activates it would repel without a firm grip on it. Torunai spied movement just outside the cell and saw the stray blonde hair peeking outside of the wig, Torunai sighed.

"What now?" Torunai said in annoyance while her hidden hand signaled that they were being watched.

"We came to save you Koyuki-hime." Ino whispered and took the seal of the door and took Torunai's hand and started leading her out.

Torunai spiked her chakra in Morse code to relay the situation inside the castle and to tell Ino about her plan to defeat Dotou. Ino's eyes stretched a bit, she didn't like the plan but Torunai was a higher rank then she was. They reached Kakashi and 'Koyuki' blew up.

"That little red head took my crystal!" Kakashi was fast to find the hidden meaning, and he actually switched with Koyuki again and now had the real crystal.

"Yes, she thought that maybe Dotou was after it. She gave it to me for safe keeping while she stayed behind to guard the rebels." Kakashi said then reluctantly handed the crystal over to Torunai hoping that she knew what she was doing.

When the Yuki-nin showed up Torunai seemingly betrayed the Konoha shinobi. Kakashi gave a quick look at Ino who nodded discreetly. Torunai walked over to Dotou and took out the crystal. Before he took it however Torunai stabbed him, weakly, with a kunai she took out of Ino's pouch. It was a test to see if he also wore the armor, he did.

Dotou revealed his armor, apparently an upgrade from the ones that the Yuki-nin wore. He shot a rope out and tied 'Koyuki' up before taking off into the sky with her. The castle started to crumble as soon as they left thanks to Tenten's explosive tags.

"The tags Torunai-chan made for the chakra armor won't work." Ino said once they were free of the rubble. "She was able to study the armor closer. She, um, told me that the only way to destroy the armor is with itself or with a strong lightning attack. And that we don't need to worry about her and Dotou, she has it covered."

Torunai and Dotou flew to the glaciers where they were going to film the final scene for the movie. Torunai cringed when she saw that the rebels, Koyuki and the film crew were on their way there too. Luckily Dotou didn't see them.

"Your father drained this land of its wealth to make a machine using the glaciers. My plan is to use that to my advantage and make it a weapon." He laughed like a mad man. "And my darling niece, your crystal is the key to activate the machine."

"As charming as that is, I can't let you do that." Torunai said once they were safe on the ground. Dotou just hit her and sent her flying.

Torunai wasn't prepared for the power behind the punch. She woke up to find grass under her back instead of snow and she knew something was up. And even if she didn't Dotou was using some pretty colorful language.

"So a generator?" Torunai said partially dissolving the remote henge. She didn't want her clothes to fall of.

"You!" Dotou growled before forming a jutsu.

Torunai recognized the jutsu from the books her mother left her and knew she didn't want to be caught by the spiraling black dragons. The chill alone was dangerous. Torunai dodged the first dragon and unsealing the large kunai from her lower back. The disruption seal was enough to guard her against the second dragon.

Torunai didn't wait for Dotou to recover as she ran and formed the rasengan. Dotou gave a smirk when he saw the jutsu but it fell when the fast spinning spiral of rainbow chakra broke the plate keeping his armor up and started to wreck havoc with his innards. Soon he was sent flying, completely lifeless.

Torunai wiped the single tear from her eye, she hated killing but Dotou didn't deserve to live. She turned around and saw that Koyuki and the rebels all looking at her. Torunai walked over to them then pulled Koyuki to the side.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Torunai stopped when Koyuki hugged her and she was crying, something she couldn't do. "There, there, it will be alright, but I really need my clothes back, I feel naked without my weapons and medical supplies."

**A week later**

Koyuki insisted that the shinobi stay until they finished the movie. That was ultimately why they were contracted in the first place. She threatened to run on multiple occasions just to keep Kakashi on his toes. The truth was that she wanted to spend time with Torunai, the little girl who helped her find inner peace.

As it turned out, the Rainbow Glaciers had a few surprises. The first was that it held a hologram of a young Koyuki talking to her father, after the entire country experienced their first spring. It also held instructions to finish the generator that was halted when Dotou started to take over.

Koyuki also started to write a book in honor of the little ninja girl that she saw as a little sister. After her coronation Koyuki dropped the biggest bomb yet, she would still be acting and were in talks with the producers of the Icha-Icha movies.

Sadly as the week drew to a close so did the time the shinobi had in the country. Torunai sat on the mast of the ship that would take them back to Fire country. Koyuki was there to personally bit them a good journey.

Upon reaching the shores of Kiba country, the shinobi speeded back home, the journey took them just under a day. When they approached the gates, Torunai could tell that there was something off about her home. A chill that she couldn't describe crawled over her back.

"Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Torunai, Yamanaka Ino and Tenten reporting back from a mission to Yuki country," Kakashi told the guard at the gate. The guard looked nervous and when Torunai passed him he whispered.

"Don't make any stops, go directly to the Hokage." The tone of panic in his voice had Torunai scared for her life, but she nodded and made her way in the most direct path towards the Hokage tower.

**End of Chapter**

**Yes I know that I am evil to leave a cliff hanger here. *laughs evilly* Tune in next time kiddies**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**Time to resolve the cliffhanger in the last chapter, thank you all for the concern and reviews, there is a new sketch up on my deviantart page. I mention the sketch later on, now onto the next chapter:**

Chapter 10

Torunai felt odd walking through the streets, the people weren't exactly glaring, but they seemed distant. Torunai's thoughts went to the Kyuubi inside her, could the villagers have found out about it? And it didn't help that she could summon foxes either. They reached the office, and with a gentle knock they entered.

"Just the team I was looking for, I trust the mission went well." Tsunade said with a stoic voice.

"There were some complications, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," Kakashi said then added, "I'll hand in the report tomorrow morning."

"Good, Kakashi, Ino and Tenten, you are dismissed. Your regular teams are waiting at the usual places for you. Report to them." Tsunade said then turned to Torunai. "Best get comfortable I have some other business to finish."

Torunai sat reading her book, Tali just died. She didn't expect it to happen, even though he was the strongest physically, he was still the weakest magically. Torunai gotten a few pages read before Tsunade gave a contempt sigh. Torunai sealed her book again and turned to her mentor and village leader.

"By this time your friends would have been informed about the stories going around town and it is only fair that you know about them too." Tsunade said then poured herself a shot of saké.

"The youngest Hyuuga has caused quite a stir. She refused to accept a sitting with a suitor her father picked out, saying she wanted to be with a girl. You don't know anything about that, do you?"

"She confided in me, and I neither encouraged it nor steered her away." Torunai said simply.

"You might've felt there is an animosity around town." Torunai nodded. "That is because Hanabi packed her bags and moved into your apartment and refuses to go anywhere until you returned."

"Tsunade-sama, if you are asking me to tell Hanabi-chan to continue to be unhappy, I won't do it." Torunai had fire in her eyes.

"I'm not asking that you tell her to quit being herself, just to go home."

"Where they will brand her with that curse seal and force her into an arranged marriage with a prick four times her age."

"Now see here…" Torunai just turned to walk out the office ignoring Tsunade. "Fine, you don't have to tell her anything, just prepare her for the consequences of her actions."

Torunai stopped at the door then simply nodded not trusting herself to speak. She walked through town and felt the animosity towards her. She knew it wasn't because she was a lesbian, but because a little girl moved into her apartment. That was frowned upon even in ninja villages, especially if the girl in question isn't a kunoichi yet. Torunai sighed just before she unlocked the door and steadied herself for the upcoming impact. As soon as white eyes met gold Torunai had mere seconds to react.

"Welcome home Torunai-chan!" Hanabi shouted and jumped into the slightly taller girl's arms.

"I'm home," Torunai smiled while spinning the girl around. Torunai's heart broke, how could anyone want to send someone this happy back?

"We need to talk." Torunai said smiling sadly at Hanabi's sunken face, "Not about you going back home, but what your actions has caused and how to deal with it."

"Your boobs grew a bit." Hanabi said smiling then noticed the seriousness on Torunai's face. "Just saying," Hanabi pouted.

"Firstly, the Hokage asked me to send you home, I refused. She also told me the story from her perspective, mind sharing yours?"

"Father found the kimono, necklace and earrings." Hanabi started then looked away and the tears started swelling up in her eyes, "He got really mad, not the Hyuuga mad, almost like that pink haired girl gets mad and destroyed all of it. He said that I won't be receiving anymore training until he figured out what to do with me."

Torunai caught the girl and comforted her while she broke down in tears. She whispered comforting words into Hanabi's ear. When Hanabi was ready again she continued.

"I was locked in my room for a week before father sent a branch family member to come and get me. Father had a guy there about Anko-san's age and his father. I instantly knew what they had planned, they wanted me to marry that man, so I kicked the guy who fetched me in his balls and ran to my room. I took everything I could carry and ran out the compound."

"And since you don't know a lot of people outside you came here?" Torunai asked in a sweet whisper. "Did you tell the Hokage this?"

"I told your roommate, she said I can stay here since I would only have run away again. I tried to tell the Hokage, but father has already told her his side. That is when I told them that I was like you and liked girls."

"So you didn't tell your father?"

"Well I couldn't he never listens to me. That is why I told the Hokage to tell him, the first night I avoided a jyuuken strike to the heart and ran to the Hokage for protection. She had the pervert set up a protection seal that stops any Hyuuga from entering into this house, but it also keeps me inside."

"Bloodline prison, not too complicated to do or undo, but only the sealer can do it." Torunai said then let her chakra flow to find the source of it. It was in the kitchen on a bottle of saké.

"Do you realize what your actions caused?" Hanabi shook her head. "I'm not going to lie to you, the atmosphere outside is cold with animosity."

"Cold with animosity?" Hanabi knew the word but never experienced it.

Torunai didn't know how to describe the feeling so she did the next best thing, she schooled her emotions and brought up the most hostile memory she had then directed it towards Hanabi with a simple look. For Hanabi it felt like all the happiness was being drained from the room and she began to cry. Torunai let the feeling go and became her old self.

"It felt like all the happiness was being sucked out of me," Hanabi sobbed.

"There, there nothing will hurt you in here." Torunai whispered rubbing Hanabi's back. "What you felt was the worst resentment I could do. I doubt you will feel it out there, but you needed to feel it."

**The next day**

"I refuse to send Hanabi back to her family," Torunai said sitting across Tsunade. "Did her father happen to mention what the age was of her suitor?"

"He didn't," Tsunade knew that Torunai could get to the bottom of the plot holes Hiashi was spinning, "That was why I told you about it and added some half truths to appeal to you. Believe it or not I trust you more then I trust Shizune, and she knows it."

"Then you know what I'm about to request, Tsunade-sama?" Torunai said.

"I knew from the second you arrived back in town," Tsunade smiled and pulled out a few items from her drawer.

She handed Torunai a piece of paper, Torunai pumped chakra into it and like before it split in half and got wet.

"Dual elements, have you mastered at least one?" Tsunade asked waiting to right on the clipboard.

"I've completed both sides of the water element, but I'm struggling with my wind element manipulation, I'm focusing on that during private training sessions and I can dent the waterfall."

"Can you perform the shunshin, if so have you settled on a variant?"

"I can and I prefer the silent approach so I settled on air. It is also a way for me to build on my wind element." Tsunade handed Torunai a pipe with markings.

"We need to catalog your current chakra level, if you'd please?"

Torunai flared her chakra and like before the pipe lit blue and revealed markings, it was when she pulled her chakra back when both of them noticed the brief gold spark before the pipe burst.

"I can say without a doubt that you have more then enough chakra." Tsunade smiled, "And I believe you would be willing to pay to make a new chakra reader."

"Or I can make one myself. I saw the seals and I might be able to strengthen it to assess bijuu levels as well."

Tsunade handed Torunai a piece of paper and asked her to write down all the jutsu she could use, including medical and sealing. Torunai spent a little time on it since she knew quite a few jutsu but couldn't reveal them all. At the back of the paper was a section for newly created jutsu, Torunai smiled and wrote down 'hentai kira no jutsu'.

"That is quite a list, but it says that you only truly master fourteen jutsu. We will only use those for now. Impressive really I only mastered eight jutsu when I became a jounin. Lastly, how many solid clones can you make, since I see that you mastered two types?"

"Around five hundred, mizu-buunshin without losing too much power and close to a thousand kage-buunshin in sessions of hundred." Torunai said after thinking it through.

Tsunade dismissed Torunai after giving her a form consisting of tasks she needed to perform, or mark as done, if she already done it, before she walked out of the office though she decided to do a bit of intel-gathering and changed her appearance to a blonde boy with spiky hair. The boy's appearance was based on the Yondaime, only he had birthmarks on his face, almost like whiskers. And he wore bright orange just to throw people of Torunai's track.

As 'Naruto' walked out on the streets the glares were gone, which was good to allow the questions 'he' wanted to ask. Now the mizu-buunshin just had to come out. When Naruto was in position it came out and Naruto felt the atmosphere change.

"Wow, that red-head is cute." Naruto said to the vendor he was buying apples from.

"You won't think so after you heard the stories my boy." The vendor said shaking his head, "Personally I don't believe half the crap but…"

"But?" Naruto asked paying for the apples.

"The Hyuuga clan says that she seduced the youngest main house member. Apparently that is why the seven year old moved out in the dead of night."

"She seduced a seven year old? Seriously?" Naruto asked not believing his ears.

"That's one of the stories. I also heard that she's not really a girl and she got the little girl pregnant." The vendor laughed at Naruto's face, "That one is hilarious because my daughter was in the academy with her and saw her lady parts, she is definitely a girl."

"Well that is just silly, but it doesn't explain why they stare at her with distain."

"The Hyuuga is a traditional family, and they are proud. They spread all these rumors and the people believe it. I moved here because I thought a ninja village would be above all the rumor mongering."

"So there are more stories like that?"

"A lot my boy, but I haven't heard them all." The vendor got a look in his eyes. "You could go to Ichiraku's they now most of the rumors going around. If you ask them they would tell you, but don't judge them they are good people and they will tell you not to believe the stories."

And that was exactly what Naruto did. He went to the ramen shop and ordered a bowl of miso. The owners of the shop told him all the rumors, one for each bowl he ate. Thirty bowls later Teuchi didn't have anymore stories to share, but Ayame did.

"Why did you have to henge Torunai?" Ayame asked with a giggle.

"I needed to find out how bad it was for Hanabi-chan, but I couldn't have people see me asking questions about me. Just out of curiosity was it the tenth or twentieth bowl that gave me away?"

"It was the way you said 'miso'." Ayame laughed.

**A week later**

The jounin trails were still a month away and Torunai was training more then ever. She had Jiraiya remove the seal on her apartment. She then placed a modified version of the seal on Hanabi, just above her heart, and it had quite an interesting side effect that Torunai kept to herself. That was that a jyuuken strike couldn't penetrate the shield, meaning that if a Hyuuga got pass the full 720 degree barrier they couldn't harm Hanabi.

Torunai was also beginning to hate her life, the preparations for the jounin trails were quite simply hell. She only completed about a third of the content on the list of requirements. And that was where she was now, facing the unseen side of the Hokage mountain. When Anko heard that Torunai was taking the trails she took the guilty pleasure of 'helping' her prepare.

"Okay maggot, I sealed your chakra off so that you won't be tempted to use it. Now climb bitch!" and with those words of encouragement she started throwing poisoned kunai in Torunai's general direction.

Torunai cursed under her breath as she jumped up onto a ledge and started climbing the mountain with her right hand tied behind her back in an awkward angle. When Torunai tried to use the first kunai s a stepping post she found it was missing and it didn't help that Anko was laughing like a maniac below.

There were more then one occasion that Torunai heard the gasp or shriek from below where Hanabi freaked out because Torunai almost fell or a kunai hit a little bit too close for her comfort. When Torunai reached the top of the mountain, she was greeted with by a familiar face.

"Oh hey Amaru, what's up?" Torunai gave a nervous laugh, since becoming Tsunade's assistant the girls didn't spent much time together.

"This is an intervention," Amaru said and behind her three other girls stepped out, Ino Tenten and Sakura. Ino was the big surprise though. "You have been too busy for your own good."

"We heard from the Hokage that you were training for the jounin trails." Sakura said, "Imagine our surprise, you and Amaru made chuunin not that long ago."

"We heard the rumors and know it's a load of hogwash." Tenten said.

"And we know why you're doing it." Ino said the other girls snapped their head around you could hear the whiplash.

"We do?" they asked in unison.

"It's only logical," Ino glanced at Torunai who still just stood there. "In order for Torunai to protect Hanabi legally she needs to either marry her, which is out of the question because Hanabi is only seven and Torunai doesn't feel that way about her. So that just leaves the only other option, the tutor/apprentice route. The only way she wouldn't be steam rolled by politics is if she was a jounin." Every one gawked at Ino.

"But they are right you know. All work and no play, makes Jill an ugly girl." Anko intervened.

"Who's Jill?" Torunai asked when her hand was cut free.

"Jill is that little girl who barely survived a bunny-hunt if she doesn't get her ass in a cute outfit and hit the town with these hot kunoichi." Anko said then jumped off the cliff and as an after thought she shouted, "I'll baby sit Hanabi tonight, believe it or not she still is a little girl that can't go unsupervised for a whole night."

Amaru seized Torunai's belt and threw it to Tenten to inspect. They were looking for something Torunai could war to a party. They found something fitting. It was a mahogany dress with gold trimming. Torunai kept it from that one seduction mission she and Amaru did when they first started as gennin.

"Found one and it's cute." Tenten said then unsealed it. "When did she wear this one?"

"Brings back memories," Amaru said.

"That pervert didn't know what hit him. What was it fifty or sixty different poisons?" Torunai asked looking the dress over, "Three seals down is the pumps that go with this outfit."

Torunai took of her clothes and armor. She did a jutsu combining water and air to give herself a quick, but thorough, wash before getting dressed in the outfit. She turned towards Sakura who was busy folding her outfit. She almost broke into giggles when Sakura reached the weights.

"Holy…" Sakura composed herself then added chakra to her muscles to pick up the weights, "How much do these weigh?"

"Today's five months after my birthday so they are around eighty pounds a piece." Torunai said without thinking much.

"You are crazy, you know that right?" Ino said, she tried the weights Torunai wore during the Yuki-mission and they were heavy."

"But it's also the last adjustment on my part until I'm fifteen. I don't want to bulk up too fast."

After they talked a bit more about training, they went to the other girl's homes, leaving the shared apartment of Torunai and Amaru for last. They all got dressed in their best party clothes and dragged Torunai out of the village and towards the closest major town. It was less then a few minutes away via shinobi-speed.

They went to the shopping mall first and dragged Torunai from shop to shop, they bought very little but spent quite a while trying stuff on. Torunai never felt more like a doll then she did that moment.

They had dinner at one of the vegetarian restaurants, the food was nice in Torunai's opinion but it did lack some qualities. Sure she didn't eat meat but she enjoyed the by products and here were none.

They went to a movie after that, it was Koyuki's latest film, the one that Torunai and the others helped supervise, how the director got it working without revealing the shinobi involvement was beyond Torunai's grasp but it was a good ending of the series.

After the movie the girls went out to an all ages club, unfortunately they were chased out within the first hour because Torunai's temper got the best of her and she nearly mutilated the poor sap that wouldn't take no for an answer and tried to force himself unto Torunai.

Other then the few hang-ups the night was a success in Amaru's opinion. Torunai seemed less agitated and she got to relax for a while. When they got back home, Torunai even picked up her pencil and did a sketch of herself, and like she did with other girls Torunai was naked except for her panties, the sketch was just of her torso though.

The next day it was business as usual. Torunai went to the hospital to get some extra training from Tsunade, then she went to through some more training with Anko, but unlike the previous day there were no interruptions so Torunai could go to the mission office and check for any of the type of missions she's missing from her list. She needed to complete seven more D-ranked missions, two solo C-ranked missions, and four hours gate duty.

"Iruka-senpai," Torunai greeted the chuunin behind the desk. "I would like seven D-ranked missions please."

"Why do you want so many missions at once?" Iruka asked even as he scanned through the list for some.

"I'm preparing for the jounin trails, and I'm missing seven D-ranked missions and two solo C-ranked missions. Also I'm doing gate duty tomorrow so I can't take missions then." Torunai answered then took the offered missions.

"Didn't you just make chuunin?" Iruka asked as he wrote Torunai's name next to the missions she took.

"Something is forcing me to up the ante, it involves some of the rumors going around." Torunai made six kage-buunshin, and handed them each a scroll.

"Be careful I heard some of those and they seem really farfetched, but you know people…" Iruka left the sentence open. Torunai thanked him and walked out the door with her clones.

The first mission was to harvest some crops for Ichiraku's. Ayame was nursing a broken arm from a cart that hit her a few days after 'Naruto' made his depute and Teuchi was as busy as ever in the ramen shop. Ayame supervised as Torunai worked the field and corrected her if she was about to harvest the vegetables incorrectly. The clone that worked on the mission was done before lunch and even plowed another field for the next crop.

The second mission was grocery shopping for a very chatty and very blind old lady. It took all of Torunai's will power to not throw the coot down the Hokage monument. But it wasn't all bad, at least Torunai found a few more twists on the rumors going around.

The third clone had to wash the Hokage monument and map out an area that could be used to carve out Tsunade's face. The clone may have cursed under her breath but six hours later the monument was clean and the sculptors had their marks to start carving Tsunade's face.

The fourth clone was sent to help the Haruno matriarch with a big order, and to be a human guinea pig for experimental sweets, the missions was marked as 'Akimichi' preferred, but Torunai could handle the request no problem, since she was a clone.

The fifth clone was sent to help clean the displays and mannequins in the largest clothing store in Konoha. To be save the clone used a henge to change her hair blonde and her clothes black, shinobi standard. The clerk was relieved at Torunai's consideration.

The sixth mission was by far the easiest. It was to replant the seedlings at the Yamanaka flower shop. Inoichi was surprised when his former student showed up and they talked about the upcoming jounin trails. Although Inoichi couldn't offer much, he did give Torunai some insight and interesting stories about the time he and his friends took the trails.

The original Torunai went to the edge of town towards the Nara farms. Her mission was the most dangerous of the lot. The deer were going into heat and needed to be herded and protected from any wild animals that might try their luck.

The woman who greeted Torunai had long hair tied in a loopy pony tail, the lazy/intelligent look in her eyes told Torunai she was a born Nara. She told Torunai where to go and how to herd the deer without attracting the wrong animals.

Torunai had a few narrow misses with few of the animals but it seemed that if she pushed the chakra through her eyes the wild animals turned tail and ran. She made another note to find out what exactly causes the glow in her eyes.

After the missions were done, Torunai went to hand them in. Sure it was seen as some kind of record completing seven missions solo in a single day, but Torunai reasoned that she had her clones so it balanced out.

The next day Torunai made some mizu-buunshin to work the gate, while she got some training in not to far away. She didn't have a human host to fuel the extension scroll, so she couldn't go very far. That was the scene that greeted the guard shift later that day.

One Torunai was sitting on the roof of the little shack looking over the horizon for any signs of life. One Torunai was inspecting a cart with vegetables, while the guy who brought it was busy filling in the paper work with the third Torunai.

"So it's you two?" Torunai said as she dropped behind the pair of eternal chuunin.

"Torunai-san, you'll give us a heart attack." Kotetsu said in mock shock.

"Yes aren't you supposed to be one of them?" Izumo added. Torunai glanced at her clones.

"They are doing alright on their own and I wasn't too far away." Torunai said signing the release form Izumo handed her. "I only got a pair of interesting characters, they actually tried too pull of the Gai/Lee look but failed, Tenten and Ino are playing with them at the moment." Torunai paused when the pair of imposters came running out the gate. "Make that they played with them."

The next day Torunai went to get her C-ranked missions and got a bonus since it was a two in one. There was a house of a deceased feudal lord that was acting up, and around the same vicinity there was a supposed scroll for a summons. When Torunai got to the house she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end so Torunai summoned Horu.

"I got something for you to do." Torunai smiled.

"I can feel another summon creature, I'm no fighter." Horu said.

"You don't need to fight Horu-kun, I just need you to dig around and find the contract scroll, I'll deal with the house, I believe that is one of those stomach summons, certainly not a ghost."

Horu got on his hind legs and saluted Torunai before literally diving into the ground. Torunai made her way to the house when it suddenly disappeared. Seconds later Horu came out of the ground with a scroll wrapped in his tail.

"So the scroll wasn't just protecting the house it was the house?" Horu asked, Torunai just had a massive sweat drop running down the back of her head.

"It seems that way," Torunai said, "And here I was hoping to be gone a lot longer. Since this is the last on the list I need to do before becoming a jounin. Looks like its only training from tomorrow."

**End of Chapter**

**The next chapter will be set during the jounin trails and since I can't recall another story that had it, and it wasn't mentioned in canon yet, it would be unique.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**Its jounin trails time! This chapter will only focus on Torunai as she's the only one from Konoha to take it, now onto the next chapter:**

Chapter 11

Torunai stood in front of the large gates protecting the small abandoned village of Uzushio. She couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. The information she gathered over the years pointed out that her mother, Kushina, came from this village and probably stood in front of Konoha in the same way.

"The first task in the jounin trials is to confront the past or 'Trail of the Past'," Torunai repeated Tsunade's words to herself. "I was born in Konoha, but I have roots here, time to confront the ghosts of my ancestors."

Torunai steeled herself and pushed open the large gates. The village beyond was over grown and serene, but there where something looming just out of sight that suggested the opposite. Not even sixteen steps inside the village Torunai felt something brittle break under her shoes.

The tears swelled up in Torunai's eyes, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Torunai lifted her foot and set it down on a safe spot then bent down to see who she stepped on, the bones where female, Torunai could tell by just looking at the ribs.

The skeleton wore tattered clothing that where busy deteriorating, from the position the body lay and the fact that the pants were around the one ankle Torunai new this woman was raped, either before, during or after she was killed. Torunai wouldn't be able to tell from the skeleton.

An emerald glow near the skull caught Torunai's attention. She gasped, this woman was an Uzumaki. Torunai picked up the clip and sealed it into the glove she began wearing since the Yuki mission. It was deprived of all weaponry save for a fighting kunai, and filled with trinkets and treasures that she collected. The Uzumaki clip would not be used but it will be stored in her heart.

Torunai took of her belt and spun it around looking for a specific seal. She missed it four times because of the tears in her eyes but finally she got the seal. She unsealed the book and paged through to a specific page.

"When an Uzumaki dies in battle it is always wise to bury them by water." Torunai read out loud. "The best way to do this is to create a tomb stone using the kotai mizu jutsu. You then seal the body into the solid water and write the fallen one's name on it. Take the sealed body to the closest water source and sent it into the deeps. The kotai mizu will dissolve returning the Uzumaki to nature."

Rubbing her eyes to keep the tears inside Torunai set to work sealing the Uzumaki into her water tomb stone. Torunai sealed the tomb stone into her belt and went deeper into the village the more the tears threatened to escape. She found several other Uzumaki and a few more clips. Torunai took note that the males also wore something similar to the clip, at least in function. They wore a thick ring around their pinkie.

Torunai came to the water source at the far side of the village. Her nose cringed from the putrid smell of the stale water. Torunai scanned the surrounding area and found a large symbol with the kanji for water. Pushing chakra into the symbol the water started spinning. Torunai pushed more chakra into the seal and even forced the kyuubi to share.

Torunai heard a click and suddenly turned to look at it. There was a chart marked for ten years and the soft click was to start the count down.

"When the chart is gold the water would turn for ten years to come washing away the pollution and giving fresh water to the village."

Touching the chart Torunai felt her chakra getting a jump start again without affecting the chart. She smiled sadly as she waited for the water to swirl faster to wash the stink away. Torunai made a boat using the kotai mizu jutsu and placed the fifty tomb stones in it. The boat drifted to the centre of the swirl and turned there. Torunai would later return and cancel the boat manually.

Torunai went to the burned down building in the centre of the village, it kind of felt like the most important place, and it was convenient to give the rest of the shinobi who died a proper burial.

Torunai stood on the highest perch she could find and slowly worked her way through fifty seals. The ground itself answered as it released its moisture lifting the long dead into the air. Not long after there seemed to be flames around the bodies. In a way it was true, Torunai was using the eki hi jutsu at its full potential to incinerate the remains.

Wiping the sweat from her brow Torunai took a good hard look around. Although in ruins Torunai could she the village for what it once was, beautiful. Torunai sat in the lotus position right there on the tower. Torunai let her chakra flow just to get a feel of the village. Searching but not really wanting to find something.

If someone was watching Torunai, they would've seen multi colored chakra foxes dancing around her before they jumped into her, with each fox that jumped into her, Torunai's eyelids and lips started to slowly chance color. When the last fox jumped in, it appeared that Torunai was wearing light blue eye-shadow and lipstick. Something Torunai wouldn't know until later.

Torunai was surprised that she felt stronger rather then weaker when she pulled her chakra in. She only discovered residual chakra that was still powering a device here and there but no life beyond a few animals.

Torunai looked at the sky and realized what time it was, she wouldn't make it to her next destination before night so she decided to go to the source of residual chakra that felt most similar to her own, assuming it was her family's home. There was just one other thing she needed to do, release the boat to set her fallen relatives free into the now clean, odorless water.

Torunai's dreams were filled with battles that she didn't fight as the memories that entered into her from the dancing foxes filled them. This was a start of the permanent kitsune semi-sennin mode. She woke up feeling the change in her mind and some names of Uzumaki that still lived. Most disturbing for Torunai was her mother's name. She was barely alive, but alive and sealed within Torunai herself.

"I'll find a way to get you out, without killing you mom." Torunai smiled sadly rubbing her navel where the seal appears occasionally when the fox was being a bitch, "Just no peeking on me and my girlfriend ok?"

Torunai might have imagined it but she could've sworn that her seal tapped the Morse-code for 'I love you' into her palm. Torunai went to the gate and looked back one last time. She would restore this village one day, maybe not for shinobi, maybe not for anyone, but just for the sake of restoring it.

"Second task is the Trail of the Body." Torunai said as she made her way to Suna for the second trial, fighting.

Torunai passed a caravan on her way west. She stopped briefly to see who was on guard duty, since she was there when the client requested shinobi. This caravan was heading to Tsuki Country, two gennin under the supervision of Kakashi, with Sakura serving as medic.

Torunai reached Suna by noon and was given a room in the Kazekage's mansion. The battles have been postponed due to the heat wave that hit Suna. The mansion was massive and the potential jounin where scattered around the air conditioned recreational room. Torunai didn't recognized any of the faces, which wasn't surprising since the chuunin candidates she were familiar with all still had to gain experience in their respected villages.

"Well hello cutie," a teen said walking in Torunai's direction. "Konoha must be desperate if they sent you here. Lets form an alliance and I'll…"

All anyone saw was the hopeless flirt falling to the ground, knocked out cold, no one saw who or what did it. All they knew was that it seemed like the small red head wearing make-up might have done it.

On the surface Torunai seemed indifferent, like this happened all the time. On the inside though she was freaking out, she was trying to ignore the creep that openly flirted with her and when that didn't work she imagined a pressure point that would knock him out was pierced with a senbon. That senbon was then formed out of her chakra and at high velocity entered the sad excuse, knocking him out before disappearing.

"Because of the heat wave we will be doing things a little different tonight. We will be having a battle royale while Suna jounin supervise to make sure no unnecessary deaths occur." Baki, the acting Kazekage, said then looked at the list. "Ten jounin potentials with Konoha sending only one." Baki scanned the room and made eye contact with Torunai. He felt a chill down his spine. Battle starts at sundown at the arena to the west.

Torunai thought back on the tour she took the first time she was here. The arena in the west was the ultimate jutsu blocker. It was a large isolated mettle dome. They pumped minimal air in making katon and fuuton impossible. There weren't any water so suiton was out of the question. The ground was just as metal as the walls blocking douton and would raiton users.

"The rules are simple, taijutsu only." Baki said when the contestants arrived. "As you may have noticed the arena is designed to block all the elements. The fight will begin in ten minutes."

Torunai padded the seal full of ryo she got when Baki purchased the seventeen chakra seals from her for the jounin, she was watching them put it on and activate it. She scanned the arena and saw the teen who flirted with her glare. She knew he was trying to intimidate her, but it wasn't working.

Sure enough when the fight started the teen rushed at Torunai. Torunai almost laughed when he stopped dead in his tracks when her eyes started to glow. Torunai got into a low stance and invited the teen to attack her while her chakra balled out to prevent any sneak attacks.

The teen got over his shock and attacked Torunai again. Torunai dodged the first few attacks in favor of studying the teen's style. It was a solid style but it lacked originality, and like her mother wrote, over-specialize and you breed in weakness. Torunai gave a chakra enhanced punch to a 'well protected' opening. The margin was one second after a front kick. Torunai ducked under his leg and hit straight up, not only knocking him out cold, but also sending him flying and leaving him a few octaves higher.

Torunai realized her error too late, strong opponents have bright orange neon lights over them that says: 'I'm strong, come and get some'. Torunai sighed and either parried, diverted or dodged the attacks until she found an opening and exploited it. She got a few hits and she was sure she'll nurse an eye for a few hours later, but soon enough six guys were lying down and out. The girls smiled in mock sympathy.

A buxom blonde turned towards Torunai when a whistle sounded. They both looked up at the Kazekage's box and saw Baki halting all fights. Torunai crossed her arms but then saw what was happening, the Suna jounin were removing the men from the arena. When the floor was clear the fights were resumed. The blonde didn't waste time as she attacked Torunai fast and often and didn't leave any openings not even well guarded ones.

"You fight well for a loli," the blonde said, her hitae-ate was from Kusa.

"And you are well guarded for an odoriko." Torunai snapped back. They both stopped their current attack and just laughed.

"I like you kid, you are strong and witty. Let's finish this."

They both reeled back for a strong punch at each other but at the last second turned to the other girls that were closing in on them, the girls were knocked out and when Baki saw that the remaining opponents won't fight anymore he halted the fight and motioned them to follow him back to the mansion.

"Good fight for all of you," Baki announced later the night when the downed opponent were woken up. "A messenger bird was sent back to your villages with your battle times. As of now the 'Trail of the Body' is done. You will be escorted back to your country's borders in the morning for your last two trails."

Before parting ways the next day the Kusa chuunin gave Torunai a kiss on the forehead.

"I hope we don't meet in opposite sides of the battle field," she said, "I would like to fight you again, but not as enemies, take care loli, be good."

"Take care odoriko, until we meet again." Torunai said before walking south from the desert.

Torunai arrived at a junction in the middle of nowhere. She could feel them. The spirits were restless with her presence. She figured that this would be as good a place as any to do her third trail, 'The Trail of the Spirit'. Unknown to her was that that exact spot was where the bijuu gathered to bit farewell to the Sage of Six Paths. Deep inside her the kyuubi shed a single tear of her own.

The 'Trail of the Spirit' was different from the others since it didn't involve anything physical. You abandon your body and seek out the spirit that best represent you. Torunai already knew it was foxes. This trail however was to align herself with them completely.

Torunai drew the symbol into the ground and sat meditating, focusing her chakra into the symbol. If her eyes were open she would've seen it was golden not her hue of blue or magenta.

"What do you want insect!" Torunai instantly recognized the feminine growl. She didn't open her eyes when she spoke.

"I'm busy with the jounin trails, kyuubi. I would appreciate it if you didn't bother me."

"You are aligned with foxes, it is only natural that the closest one to be drawn to you."

"You are evil. I don't think I need that kind of alignment."

"Don't worry insect, you actually already did this part, unconsciously, back in Uzushio. You are currently in a permanent semi-sennin state. If you look into a mirror you'll see that your lips and eyelids are powder blue. Your mother could access this state too, but her version wasn't permanent like yours."

"How… How did it happen?"

"The spirits of the fallen Uzumaki gathered around you and merged part their spirits with yours. I'm just here relaying the message now piss off and don't bother me again." The kyuubi ejected Torunai.

"You could've handled that better, Kurama-chan." Another red head said from her dark corner.

"Shut up Kushina, I don't have the energy to deal with you too." The kyuubi now known as Kurama said. "I told you before she's not ready. Even now her chakra is too unstable."

Torunai opened her eyes. She did notice the blue around her eyes and lips but didn't pay much attention to it, or knew what it was for that matter. She wondered if her mother's spirit inside her might've caused the sage mode, only one way to find out. Torunai went through the seals and mustered all her chakra to summon the leading fox. When the smoke decimated a small fox with three tails sat staring up at her.

"Why have you summoned me Uzumaki-san, I was watching my stories." The old vixen said in a cranky voice.

"My apologies Kitsune-sama, I was just wondering about my permanent semi-sennin mode." The vixen looked at Torunai properly now.

"You are the jail for the kyuubi, correct?" Torunai nodded, "But that isn't all, is it? You are also keeping another alive inside the same seal."

"I found that out two days ago, it's my mother."

"I do not know about the permanent semi-sennin mode because I never experienced it." The vixen said, "However my theory is that your mother was in sennin mode when she was sealed, that could've caused your eyes to turn gold. The natural chakra mixed with bijuu chakra and your new alignment caused the change, but don't quote me on that since it's just a theory."

"That's more than what I had, thank you Kitsune-sama."

"My name is Dekobou young Uzumaki, congratulations on your alignment and good luck."

Torunai sighed as she wasn't ready for the last trail yet, the 'Trail of Endurance and Survival'. She needed to go back to Konoha and leave everything behind except for a single kunai. They will then blindfold and chakra suppress her and drop her of somewhere and she has to survive until she got back to Konoha.

She made her way back up north towards her home. She didn't check the time so when she arrived it was past night and the gates where closed for the night. Torunai camped out and waited for morning. When morning came Torunai walked up to the gate guard that happened to be the eternal chuunin.

"Uzumaki Torunai reporting back from her third Trail." Torunai handed them the papers and her passport, they could find no fault. Then Torunai handed them a scroll. "My artillery and clothing, I'm waiting for Gai-san to go hide me somewhere, he'll be here in…3…2…1."

And with that Torunai was abducted by a green blur. In the run Gai put on Torunai's blindfold and applied the seal that would only release with Tsunade's chakra. Gai took sudden turns and twists. Torunai knew she would be lost even if she wasn't blind folded. Gai was just going too fast.

After an hour of running Torunai was put down gently then spun to disorient her while Gai returned to Konoha. With the cobwebs gone Torunai took of her blindfold and made sure her kunai is secure around her leg. She hasn't worn a shuriken pouch since the academy, sure there were no shuriken in, but hers had a holder for her kunai.

Like Torunai predicted she was completely lost in an unfamiliar environment. Torunai sighed. The best thing to do was to find out where she was, but without making human contact or chakra.

Torunai climbed the nearest tree to get to the sunlight. Once at the top Torunai took the kunai and balanced it in her palm, by her estimate it was around seven in the morning and north would be to her left. Torunai turned north and took a mental picture. Of a very peculiar stone shape, that was her current target, Torunai also took note of land marks in the other directions and once she got down she marked the bark just out of sight for most.

When Torunai reached the stone half an hour later she recognized it instantly, for beyond the stone lay a chasm filled with yellowish gas. Torunai knew this gas was poisonous, she used it often enough when she was under Inoichi's watch.

This was Kuma-country, and just beyond the rift was Hoshi. Torunai shivered at the thought of this country, but smiled at the memory. The last time she was here with Amaru and Anko she met a cute girl that was a bit too clingy for her tastes, but they did have a moment.

"Sorry Hokuto-chan, I promised the next time I was here I would visit, but I need to get back to Konoha without making contact with anyone."

Just beyond the rift a young girl suddenly opened her eyes from her meditation and looked to the south. Her soft eyes were filled with joy as if she heard a long lost friend's voice.

"I can feel you Torunai-chan and I understand, travel safely back home. We'll catch up next time."

Torunai was relieved to know where she was but a vein was throbbing in her head. Kuma-country was four days away at Torunai's top speed with chakra enhancement. Without that it would take three weeks and since she has to avoid human contact she couldn't run and that would set her back another week.

Torunai turned west and started walking. She walked until dusk when she decided to get something to eat and rest for the night. She found a family of foxes nearby and they guided her to a bush of non-poisonous berries near a stream. She offered them a smile and they parted ways.

"So that is what it means to be aligned with an animal? They help you whenever they can." Torunai whispered to herself then ate her fill.

Torunai scanned the area and found a large root that could be hollowed out to carry water. She went to work on and filled it with water. She took off her sports top and cut it to tie around the root to carry it and to serve as a cork.

Torunai traveled for two days when she encountered her first sign of trouble, Akatsuki. There were two shady characters one a blonde with something over his covered eye and the other was clearly a puppet, most likely controlled from the inside. Torunai was glad her chakra was sealed off or else she would've been a beacon to these clowns.

Torunai found herself a safe spot in a tree and listened to the two argue about art. She kept her emotions and surprise inside while there were explosions happening on irregular intervals. As an artist herself she sided with the one the blond, Deidara, called Sasori, art was meant to be appreciated and not blown up.

The Akatsuki members only left their spot three hours later. Torunai sighed in relief. She got lucky with Itachi and that fish guy, these guys would stuff her full of explosions then make her body a doll after stitching the pieces together.

Torunai suddenly felt violated, almost like she was being undressed. She knew it was Sasori. He clearly didn't know she was a jinchuuriki but his eyes were violating. Torunai ran from for a good hour getting away from the Akatsuki puppet master.

Strangely enough, that was the most trouble Torunai had on her journey back to Konoha. Mostly because after meeting the two 'artists' Torunai called on the foxes and they guided her through the underbrush until she was in familiar territory.

It was only now that the most important thing about the conversation she overheard the Akatsuki members have, click in her mind. They are currently only gathering information and won't go after her and the other jinchuuriki for the next three years.

"Only one more day until you're home girl," Torunai told herself after cutting yet another piece of cloth from her shirt.

Torunai laughed at herself when she surveyed her shirt. The sleeves that hid her hands when she did her disconnected seals were totally exposed. Part of it formed makeshift gloves and a splint for her right leg, but most of it was what kept the natural healing agents around a rather large wound over her left breast. She might've had a healing factor but it was fueled by chakra, so this wound would scar. Torunai reached the village about an hour before sundown. Gate duty was covered by Sakura and Amaru, Torunai was relieved to see friendly faces.

"Uzumaki Torunai, Registration ID 012607, returning from her last jounin trail," Torunai said then realized her voice was hoarse.

"Why did you…" Sakura started before Amaru stopped her.

"Torunai clearly sealed her papers with her other equipment. That is why she gave us her Registration ID, which is correct by the way. It also says here that she has to be taken to Hokage-sama immediately upon arrival and has her chakra sealed." Amaru handed Sakura the clipboard, "Sakura, remember the procedure, I will be back in a bit."

Amaru supported the limping Torunai all the way to the centre of town, Torunai noticed that the glares were just a phase stirred by all the rumors that went around, they weren't that often anymore but the ones she felt was extremely intense.

"So the rumors had been piling on more huh?" Torunai asked half heartedly she only now realized how weak she felt.

"Where did Gai-san drop you?" Amaru asked ignoring the question but answering it too.

"A few kilo's from Hoshi." Torunai said then poked Amaru. "And thank you for trying to spare my feelings, but you not answering me told me it was bad. Where did our friendship go wrong?"

"It didn't, we're just both too busy in our lives. I spent my time at the hospital and you focused on other stuff, like being Hokage-sama's apprentice. You are currently on the same level as Shizune-san, only in the field."

"We should hang out sometime."

"You are going to take on an apprentice of your own soon, but we could find some time for, maybe a mock date?"

Both girls laughed at that. Amaru has been in hot pursuit of Shino for as long as Torunai knew the girl, but the stoic boy didn't get the hints. They continued laughing and chatting until they reached Tsunade's office. Once there Tsunade removed the seal which caused Torunai's surface wounds to heal instantly. Tsunade then gave Torunai a scroll to write the details of the Jounin Trails, except for the one in Suna.

After finishing the report, Torunai took the time to write a foot note on the conversation she overheard the Akatsuki members had. Only she forgot their names. Torunai then discussed the events in as much detail as she written and even catalogued every wound she obtained. Tsunade demanded Torunai show her the scar over her breast. Torunai obliged with a heavy blush,

"This could have been worse I suppose." Tsunade said sighing in relief. "It's just right of the nipple. Good job dressing it without the aid of jutsu."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Torunai said testing her leg, it healed completely. "But you couldn't have left 10 percent chakra instead of 2? I really didn't want to scar."

"Stop whining brat," Tsunade sniped, "After tomorrow's ceremony you'll be a jounin."

"And the day after that I can take on an apprentice right?" Torunai smiled.

"Right,"

**The Next Day**

Torunai stood in front of the entire shinobi council, the civilian side had no say in shinobi matters so they were excluded. Torunai was nervous. Her fingers kept twitching under the extra long sleeves of her kimono.

"Fellow shinobi, you are here to witness the promotion of Konoha's latest jounin." Tsunade said calming the ruckus down. "Uzumaki Torunai has completed all four trails in less than a month."

There was a scuffle and Torunai realized that most of them couldn't complete all the tasks, or did it in more time then Torunai. The girl blushed in embarrassment.

"Torunai is the youngest jounin in seven years, and because she was an apprentice to one of the sannin, she gets to choose. Either take an apprentice, shinobi or not, or take a gennin squad. Please choose now Uzumaki Torunai."

"I choose an apprentice." Torunai said confidently, "I feel that I am too young to take a gennin squad that would most likely be older then myself. And I feel that Konoha needs more field eisei-nin."

"Do you have an apprentice in mind?" Chouza asked.

"When I was treating Hinata-san in the hospital after the injuries she sustained during her chuunin exam, her sister showed interest in the medical arts."

"That is a lie you wish to corrupt the young Hyuuga with your heinous ways!" Hyuuga Hiashi found a kunai very close to his groin and gulped.

"I plan to teach the young Hyuuga to be a medic, her preferences in a life partner is none of my concern. I chose my path a while back and yet I do not have a girlfriend, because I do not force my ways onto others. I pursued Haruno Sakura, but found that she wasn't like me, so I let that go. I pursued my teammate but she has interests in the Aburame heir.

I have flirted with Inuzuka Hana but we both agreed she is too old for me."

Tsume started to laugh uncontrollably. Hiashi took the opportunity to look over the copy of the Jounin Trails report in front of him. He couldn't find a fault not even with Torunai's alignment with foxes.

"I will allow this, but Hyuuga Hanabi is forbidden from practicing jyuuken. I will send Hinata with a scroll containing all of Hanabi's possessions. As of today, Hyuuga Hanabi is no longer a Hyuuga." Hiashi stood up and walked out. Just pausing at the door, "But if you get her killed or let the Hyuuga secrets out, you will be killed."

Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Now with the entertainment out of the way there is one last matter to discuss. Torunai you have an estate in the south of the village under your father's name. Do you wish to move in or will you stay in your current apartment?"

"I need to consult my roommate, we make decisions like that together, but if I chose the estate, the last of my clan is welcome to join." Tsunade nodded to Shizune who knew that Torunai meant them and Karin.

**End of chapter**

**The Jounin Trails are over and Torunai now has an apprentice of her own. With the Akatsuki not planning to make their move for three years what misadventures could Torunai and Hanabi get up to?**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

**The Jounin Trails are over and Torunai now has an apprentice of her own. So now it's time to train Hanabi, on to the chapter:**

Chapter 12

Torunai stood in front of the solid wall that marked the entrance to her new home. She discussed the situation with Amaru and Hanabi and all three of them decided it was a good idea to move into the estate. That and the rent to their apartment would triple now that Torunai made jounin. It already doubled when the girls made chuunin.

"Torunai-chan…." Hanabi whined "Why are we waiting out here?"

"We are waiting for Karin-chan and Shizune-senpai. Shizune-senpai went to fetch the scroll to unlock the gate and Karin-chan went to pack."

"But why isn't Amaru-san waiting with us? She's gonna stay here too."

"One of her patients took a turn for the worse, she had to go."

Torunai was spared anymore questions when Shizune and Karin arrived. She gave a low whistle. Karin wasn't in Konoha very long but she already had quite a collection of stuff. Shizune was looking confused at the scroll in her hands, so confused that she almost walked pass them.

"Sorry, but this scroll is just gibberish." Shizune handed Torunai the scroll. Torunai read it and laughed.

"Shizune-senpai it isn't gibberish, it is encrypted."

Torunai took out a pencil and circled seemingly random letters, what she actually did was circle the katakana letters between the hiragana. When she was done she wrote them all in order on a piece of paper then read the paper. She smiled and started counting bricks. She stopped at a brick at the end of the arch at her eyelevel. She pushed chakra into the stone and a cute miniature fox head appeared. Torunai unsealed a senbon and a small empty vial. She pierced her finger and let the blood drip into the vial.

"Everyone please let some of your blood drip into the vial I'm going to shunshin to get some blood from Anko-san and Amaru-chan. Shizune-senpai can you also get some from Tsunade-sama?"

Torunai disappeared without waiting for an answer only to return moments later with two syringes with a little blood in them. Shizune also returned shortly after Torunai with the vial that now contained some of Tsunade's blood as well.

"Kitsune-chan is thirsty let's give her something to drink." Torunai joked when she poured the blood into the fox head's mouth.

The head turned to the side and the wall slowly shrunk into the ground, being replaced by yellow lightning moving between the pillars. Torunai's face fell. She was hoping that it would be like the whirlpool back in Uzushio. She smiled again when she saw the seals that generated them could be customized.

"Welcome to the Namekaze Estate, those whose blood was in the vial won't get hurt passing through the gates." Torunai smiled sadistically, reminding Shizune suddenly of Kushina.

The estate was beautiful. It had a large training field right in the middle and tall buildings all around the parameter there were seventeen entrances to the training field protecting passersby.

"Um, I guess now you all pick a house?" Torunai said making her way to the clearly marked clan leader house. "I wish I didn't need to take the big one, but I'm the only person that can open the doors in it. At least until I can modify the seals slightly."

Torunai was about halfway to the main house when a statue of a nine tailed fox caught her attention. She walked towards it and sure enough her name was written below the statue, just below her mother's and great grand aunt's. Torunai rubbed the head of the fox and thought she heard it moan in pleasure.

Torunai opened the front door to the main house when she felt a sudden wind rush pass her. She turned around and saw the dust from the entire estate being dragged to the centre of the training field where it swirled for a while before falling to the ground.

"Beats having a maid," Hanabi said next to Torunai.

"You would know," Torunai laughed back. "The main house is still dangerous, I need to disable all the traps first, and then modify the seals…"

"What?" Hanabi asked

"I'm being an idiot." Torunai formed the combination seal and summoned a few kage-buunshin, "Get to it."

Torunai and Hanabi walked into the training field, more accurately the posts. Torunai thought it was normal training posts, but upon closer inspection they revealed seals for various obstacles in the field itself. Torunai pumped chakra into a random post and a water fall sprang up towards the one side of the field.

Torunai suddenly caught sight of something flying at high velocity towards her. She caught a book thrown by one of the clones from the main house, much to Hanabi's amusement.

"A guide to The Estate," Torunai read then bit her thumb to draw blood for the lock seal, "Seems like old daddy was a bit paranoid."

Torunai skimmed through the book and smiled.

"Seems that there are some interesting surprises around every corner," Torunai said then motioned Hanabi to follow her.

"Where are we going?" Hanabi asked.

"You are my apprentice now so I'm going to teach you something, how to modify an elemental seal to be equally deadly only with a different element."

"I thought we were going to spar or something."

"Not today. Today we're settling in, Hinata-chan will be here with your stuff soon. That's why we're going to the gate. And before you ask yes I'm going to show you how to modify the seal but that's just to keep busy."

They arrived at the gate and Torunai motioned towards the seals all around the pillars that marked the gate.

"Those are activation/application seals you don't touch them with an eighty meter pole if they are working, the backfire hurts like hell."

"What do you look for then?"

"The hidden symbol that represents the key," Torunai pointed at a very small seal, when compared to the others that looked like a windmill. "This is the key seal. I want you to activate your byakugan and watch what I do, but once you start training in it, your eyes will be useless."

"What…" Hanabi tried to say but thought better. She activated her eyes.

Torunai pushed chakra into the windmill, chakra shot out in an array colors. She pulled it off the wall and between her and Hanabi.

"This is a key array, here you can see the different components and how they fit into one another, this part helps you identify the seal and if you concentrate hard enough you can modify it without picking up a brush."

Torunai pointed at the two ends, they mirrored each other.

"These are the lock components they keep the key from falling in on itself. Every person who created a personal seal has a different pattern to it. That means that it represents the seal master."

"Who created this seal, Torunai-chan? I the seals you showed me looks like spiky spirals was it the Yondaime?"

"No Hanabi-chan, I don't think that my father had any hand in creating any of the seals in the estate, he might've requested it but he didn't create them. This seal was designed my mother, just like the fox at the gate and the posts in the training field. I'm actually beginning to think the Yondaime just owned the land."

"So the spiky spirals are your mother's? How does yours look then?"

"I'll show you later." Torunai moved to a seal in the middle that looked like it sat on top of another seal and they were surrounded by what looked like angry chipmunk shadows.

"You never touch any seal that looks like it might be an animal, they are cute but they can cost you a hand. You see this duel symbol in the middle?" Hanabi nodded, "This is the only part that you can modify. The seal on top is the modification. I thought that it would've been the main seal, but my mother added her protection first."

Torunai used chakra to dissolve the lightning seal leaving a water wall with a cutting whirlpool in the centre.

"Mom you are beautiful." Torunai exclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

"This is exactly how I wanted to redesign the gate. You see the deadly whirlpool made out of ice and the two pillars? This is the Uzumaki symbol."

Torunai pointed at another seal on the wall just left of a pillar.

"This is a temporary disruption seal. It is used to let other people inside the estate. As soon as Hinata comes we will disrupt it to ensure she can enter safely."

Hinata came walking towards the estate just a few minutes later, Torunai showed Hanabi to keep chakra in the symbol to deactivate the gate. The seal was similar in design to the one in prison, but Torunai didn't tell Hanabi that.

Hanabi took the scroll with her positions from Hinata and the three of them went to the main house to sit and talk. One of the clones dispelled telling Torunai that the traps were disabled but not the seals yet. They sat in the living room and after a clone brought them something to drink Torunai turned towards Hinata.

"How do you feel about the fact that Hanabi has been disowned?" Torunai asked unblinking. Hinata flinched. "Well don't be rude Hinata-san, how do you feel about it?"

"I, I don't like it, Hanabi-chan didn't do anything to deserve it." Hinata said in barely a whisper.

"That is not entirely true," Torunai said glancing at Hanabi. "Hanabi didn't want to marry the sweaty old prick your dad wanted to force unto her." Hinata gasped and looked at Hanabi who nodded.

"They didn't tell me why she left." Hinata whispered, Torunai grinded her teeth.

"You know Hanabi is in the room with us Hinata-san, we are all part of this conversation." Torunai calmed down. "I suppose you don't know why your father tried to force her into marriage either?"

"No," Hinata shook her head, Hanabi jumped up and walked to the kitchen, a single tear in her eye.

"Do you do that often?" Torunai kept her cool. "Ignore someone that cries on your shoulder I mean. When your father took the gifts I gave her she ran to you for comfort, before she was locked in her room."

"I, I don't, I didn't…" Torunai slapped Hinata then instantly regretted it. She saw the seal at the back of Hinata's neck.

"Hanabi, it's not Hinata's fault, there's an outdated mind erasing seal on her neck, probably designed by a seal expert before the Hyuuga started using that curse seal. It's fading, meaning they took the memories of your exile from her mind." Hanabi was in the living room at break neck speed and hugged her sister.

"I'm sorry I didn't know…" Hinata tried but Torunai shook her head.

"Don't let your family know we told you again, multiple mind erasing seals are dangerous close to one another, tell them we took the scroll and offered you a drink, don't tell them we talked." Torunai said.

Hanabi then went into as much detail as she could. Starting on the day Hiashi discovered the gifts in her room up until the day she ran away. She then went on to tell Hinata about her stay at the apartment Torunai and Amaru shared. Torunai added her plan to protect Hanabi by taking her as an apprentice and finally Hiashi's decision to ban Hanabi from practicing jyuuken and disowning her.

Hinata left with a heavy heart but vowed her silence on the matter. When they reached the gate Torunai took out a vile that had some of her blood in and added Hinata's to it. She told Hinata that she would be adding her to the trusted visitors within the next week. She wanted to add four others and couldn't wait for the 'gate keeper fox' to regenerate every time.

By the end of the first day Torunai's clones finished removing the blood specific seals and the main house was ready for others to use. Torunai gave it to Tsunade while she settled for a more modest home close to the kyuubi statue. And just to be safe, Torunai had Hanabi move into the house with her.

The next day Torunai took Hanabi around the parameter to show her the various security seals that kept the estate safe from other shinobi. The first stop was at the gate again where Torunai explained the seals in more detail and had Hanabi try and copy their design on a piece of paper.

After inspecting the work, Torunai determined that Hanabi's penmanship needed some work and that she needed to concentrate a bit harder on the details, since she missed three key strokes and had a curve too many on her swirls.

They climbed the wall, and Torunai pointed out a seal that hid the estate from view. It was similar in design to Torunai's thermal seal but more concentrated and localized. Hanabi took notes since Torunai didn't want to have her try to replicate the seal before she herself had a chance to study it. They walked up to the first upright and Torunai pointed out a seal that was formed like a tiger.

"This is an anti-shunshin seal." Torunai said.

"It is formed like a tiger, aren't those dangerous?" Hanabi asked remembering the angry chipmunks in the key seal at the gate.

"When they form part of a key seal they are dangerous but when an entire seal array resembles an animal it's mostly for protection." Torunai nodded in approval. "In this case it's to prevent shinobi from popping into the complex unannounced. There are four locations, this one included, that I know of that has this seal. They are the prison, the Hokage tower and the academy."

They moved on to the next upright close to the private onsen. Torunai laughed when she saw the complex seal array that resembled a naked mermaid. Hanabi was confused as to why Torunai laughed then looked at the seal herself. Her jaw dropped at the detail.

"I don't understand this seal, is it an animal or a human?"

"This is a dual seal actually. Let's start by the most common of the two." Torunai said then pointed at the fish tail. "The lower half of the mermaid controls the moist in the air and keeps the temperature constant. That way the water doesn't increase or decrease in heat without prior fiddling." Hanabi nodded.

"Now this is the part I laughed at. The top half is an anti-spy seal. Firstly it fogs up the sides of the onsen so intensely that even if you could pierce the walls you won't see anything." Torunai's finger glazed over the hair. "This is the complexity of the seal though. It prevents chakra entering the premises."

"I don't understand." Hanabi said. Torunai smiled and then continued.

"There are certain jutsu that gives shinobi remote sight. Now remote sight is similar to the byakugan in the sense that it uses chakra to extent vision. Shinobi like the Hokage has orbs that allow them to see via remote eye to make sure that the villagers remain safe. The Yamanaka are the most prominent clan that uses remote eyes but there are others."

"So the seal prevents anyone that uses chakra to see from peeping right?" Hanabi caught on.

"Exactly," Torunai smiled, "This isn't the first time I see the seal but it is the first time I see it in use. I found a similar seal in my mother's books and on my Jounin Trails."

"Can I ask about them?" Hanabi asked looking at the seal.

"For every person it's different, but there are four that you need to complete, so I won't be able to offer much advice." Torunai said and they moved onto the next upright.

"I'm going to let you examine this one, feel free to use your byakugan. What does this seal represent?"

Hanabi focused her eyes onto the seal that resembled a fairy. She activated her eyes and saw the colors jumping around in a kind of dance.

"From what I can see it's another anti-spy seal that blocks chakra enhanced abilities."

"Correct," Torunai smiled. "This specific seal blocks sound. It's essential with privacy seals and popular at parties."

"Really?" Hanabi asked.

"Well maybe not parties but it is the seal used to muffle out sound and like before the hair part blocks out chakra. This however is the first one I saw in fairy form, usually it's a butterfly."

They moved onto the last upright and Torunai actually fell of the wall laughing, because the last seal resemble none other then the kyuubi. Torunai got over her laughing fit and went back up the wall.

"What can you tell me about this seal Hanabi-chan?"

"It looks like the statue near our home, and like the tiger it is to protect the estate, right?"

"Yes this is basically the seal that ties all the others together and more, it reinforces the walls to keep jutsu out. It nullifies kekkei genkai and it provides the estate with independent electricity and water. Lastly it works as an alarm system and can bring the whole place down if we wanted to."

"Um, Torunai-chan," Hanabi bit her lip pointing at a missing 'leg' on the seal. "Isn't there supposed to be a leg there?"

"Let's see," Torunai ran a scan of the seal. "The leg isn't missing it is just somewhere else. You see with seals like these security seals it needs a power source." Torunai pointed at the string of seals that ran along the wall and kind of resembled flowers. "These are connecting power seals. They connect the others with this seal. The 'leg' as you put it is the power storage seal that needs to be recharged regularly. I know exactly where it is because I felt it started running low."

"Where is it?" Hanabi asked eagerly. Torunai thought for a moment then smiled.

"I don't think I will tell you. As your sensei I want you to scan the estate grounds until you find it and note there is about another week's worth of chakra left in the seal, before it needs to be recharged." Hanabi's eyes stretched she thought that Torunai would show her everything, she didn't feel ready yet.

Hanabi studied the seal while Torunai went down the wall and towards the training ground posts. Torunai was going to work on wind manipulation with the waterfall while she monitored Hanabi's progress.

Hanabi took out a paper and drew the symbols in similar fashion then the other legs, and at more or less the same angle that the missing leg would be. She then activated her byakugan and scanned the grounds she found three possible matches for it. She went to the first one at the far wall and studied it. Hanabi found that seal to be a trap seal that released a type of gas. She barely made it out of the way of it.

"Pepper-gas a nice touch, non-lethal but it hurts like crazy." Anko said sitting on the wall she walked into the estate when Torunai took Hanabi up the wall, but she went to get herself a snack. "I wanted to bother you two up on that wall but when Kokitsune over there gave you this task I decided to watch the show."

"You're mean Anko-san," Hanabi pouted. Torunai shook her head. Hanabi only met a calm version of Anko.

"Just mean? I must be getting soft." Anko gave a feral grin.

Hanabi moved onto the next seal with Anko following her in a skip. Anko was the person that set up these false seals and she knew that Torunai saw her do it. The little girl was getting as sadistic as her mother, more and more everyday. Hanabi tried to dodge the spring loaded kunai that flied out of the second seal, but it cut her on the cheek.

Hanabi went to the last of the seals she thought was the seal only for it to cover her face in soot. Hanabi cursed under her breath.

"But these are the only seals I saw that looked like they could belong to the seal up there." Hanabi whined.

"And that's the problem you looked." Torunai said walking up to Hanabi. "Like I said at the gate yesterday, once you start the training your eyes will be useless. That is why the Hyuuga never went beyond that curse seal to better ones. They rely on their eyes too much."

"But then how?" Anko and Torunai shared a look.

"You are ready." Anko said then walked away leaving the girls.

Torunai walked towards the wall where the last seal was and motioned Hanabi closer.

"Release a small amount of chakra into the air around the seal and then pull it back." Torunai said, Hanabi did and her eyes closed when she felt the sensation come back to her.

"That felt nice, almost like when father gave us wine to drink."

"All seals have a unique signature feel to it. For now I want you to concentrate on the feel you got from the seal and exactly where and what it feels like. Then you need to pulse your chakra until you find something that feels similar."

When Hanabi followed the instructions, she needed all of her willpower not to run at the statue of the kyuubi. Her face was set in a big smile when Torunai rubbed her head as a reward for finding the power storage seal.

"All I don't understand is why it's not in the same shape as the one on top?" Hanabi asked studying the seal array on the fox's leg.

"Misdirection," Torunai smiled, "For these types of seals it's safer to hide some components in plain sight then in the obvious places." Torunai turned towards the fox and placed a hand on its head. "To recharge a power seal, you need to pump it full of chakra. Look at the eyes of the fox and tell me when they start to glow."

It took several minutes for the fox's eyes to glow. Torunai realized that the seal was designed for eleven years but was chakra intensive. Much worse then the whirlpool back in Uzushio that ran for ten years. Torunai sat down after filling up the seal, but was smiling from ear to ear.

**Two weeks later**

It took a while to settle in completely, Torunai designed seals to help protect Hanabi and helped Hanabi create a seal signature of her own. Torunai didn't want Hanabi creating seals yet, her chakra control wasn't that good even for a Hyuuga. Instead Torunai focused on her penmanship.

Everyday Torunai sent out clones to explore the estate and create a map that indicated what seal did what and where they were located. Another clone read the book that they found in the main house. And like Torunai thought the book was another ruse to throw possible invaders off the right track. Sure it mapped the obvious seals but there were hundreds of hidden seals that got powered by one of the obvious ones without the user knowing it.

A clone popped and sent the message back to Torunai. Torunai smiled and lead Hanabi outside. She flicked the fox statue's ear sending an alarm throughout the estate. Hanabi looked at Torunai suspiciously. When everyone was outside or forced back into the estate Torunai spoke.

"Glad no one was using the lady's, that would've been embarrassing," Torunai said smiling. "I actually called this meeting to hand each of you a layout of the estate to ensure you don't accidentally kill yourselves."

"What do you mean?" Karin asked adjusting her glasses.

"There are exactly seven hundred ninety two hidden traps and triggers." Torunai started, "Each hidden trap is powered by a visual seal that has nothing to do with the trap itself, a way of using misdirection. The layout shows which areas are safe and which to avoid, I won't recommend trying to modify the seals since it will trigger the protection seals I set up and everyone knows that isn't a good idea."

With no other questions, Torunai flicked the ear again and every one was sent back to where they were before. Torunai smiled, she loved the irony the seal on the ear provided. It worked with the blood in the gate guardian's mouth to summon them all and it provided a laugh because you flicked the 'great kyuubi' on the ear.

Torunai lead Hanabi to the private onsen and gave her a bikini to put on. Hanabi pouted because she didn't mind being naked around Torunai but she complied none the less. Torunai explained the concept of the water walking exercise before lowering the temperature of the water to not cook Hanabi alive.

Minutes later Torunai felt a disturbance from the gate. Someone that was associated with the estate before she inherited it entered. The disturbance came because she didn't add this person.

"Hanabi keep going I will be right back." Torunai said then placed her hand on seemingly random shell and was dragged through it to a random brick in the wall next to the gate.

"Why am I not surprised, Ero-sennin?" Torunai asked the white haired man.

"What are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked in a scolding voice. "You aren't allowed in here until you are a jounin." Torunai flicked a piece of metal in Jiraiya's direction.

"I made the cut and I'm currently training my apprentice. What are you doing here?" Torunai said not impressed by his attitude.

"I'm here to make sure you don't die, this place is dangerous to the untrained."

"I already activated all the safety seals and gave the others living here a safe/unsafe layout of the grounds. I also disabled every seal in the main house and given it to Tsunade-sama to use."

"Do you know who designed the seals of this place?" Jiraiya was red in the face.

"I do, the real question is do you know who really did it?" Torunai was calm, but her hand was itching to release the poison gas on this pervert.

"The Yon…" Jiraiya doubled over in pain as a chakra enhanced kick met his groin. He didn't even see the girl move.

"Stop telling yourself that lie, Ero-sennin. Minato's signature is nowhere on the entire premises. He didn't even move in before he died. My father may have wanted to do this but every key has my mother's signature. The only part he had anything to do with was the modification on the gate that I removed."

"You can't…" Jiraiya grabbed his junk again since it got another jolt of pain.

"Jiraiya-san I respect you as Tsunade's teammate but if you come into my house and tell me what to do, I'll make sure you never enter here again. I added some modifications to the gate that would allow me to do just that and maybe I'll add a modified version of the Hyuuga seal on visitors while they are inside here."

"Sorry, I was just upset." Jiraiya said having calmed down enough. "This was just the last piece that Minato left behind."

"He also left me behind you pervert." Torunai helped Jiraiya up. "Don't think you can control me Jiraiya-san, I am a leave in the wind. Now excuse me my apprentice is doing the water walking exercise in the onsen."

"May I…"

"She's seven Ero-sennin and you aren't a lolicon." Torunai interrupted.

Torunai walked back to the onsen because she didn't want Jiraiya seeing which pathway lead to the onsen, she doubted he even knew about these undetectable seals since it was encrypted in the book just like in the scroll. Torunai laughed when she looked back and saw Jiraiya examine the Hiraishin seal next to the gate.

**Three days later**

Torunai and Hanabi were walking towards the mission office when they bumped into Ino. Ino was carrying a mission request form and looking very confused.

"Hey Ino-chan, what do you have there?" Torunai asked. Ino literally jumped out of her skin.

"Don't do that!" Ino shouted holding her heart. "You'll give me a heart attack and I'm too young and sexy to have one."

"You won't find me arguing with you on that," Torunai teased.

"Me neither." Hanabi said from behind Torunai. Ino tilted her head to the side.

"What are you doing with a mini Hyuuga?" Ino asked, "Are they giving them away because I want a cute one just like her."

"Meet my apprentice," Torunai smiled at Hanabi's blush. "Hanabi, formerly of the Hyuuga clan, but you haven't answered me yet. What's the mission for?"

"Formerly?" Ino repeated, she heard the rumors but didn't believe it. "Oh yeah, the mission, my family has been trying to map out the human mind with a seal we're trying to develop, but hasn't been going too well. So my dad filled out an S-ranked request scroll for a seal master to take a look at it."

"Do you have the seal here?" Torunai asked curious.

"No my dad has it locked up, there were rumors that a mind erasing seal was seen on someone's neck and that is one of the side effects the seal master should look at."

"Hanabi-chan it seems like we found a mission after all." Torunai said smiling.

"What do you mean 'you' have a mission?" Ino asked unconsciously pulling the mission scroll tighter against breasts.

"Jiraiya-san left yesterday. The Sandaime Hokage retired and Kakashi is out on a mission with his new team." Torunai said counting them off. "Now Anko knows her seals but that's a hobby to hurt people. That leaves the only other seal master available."

"You?" Ino looked suspiciously at Torunai. In response Torunai rolled up one sleeve and unsealed a chakra replenish seal.

"My own work," Torunai said. "That one is used in the field to replenish chakra. I have another that extends your chakra, just not on me. I sold the last few to Jiraiya yesterday."

"Aren't you scared he will unlock the secrets and mass produce them?" Ino asked a little less tense. She regretted the question when Hanabi laughed.

"Torunai-chan isn't an idiot. She added fourteen safety seals and five false seals on them, and once someone tries to open it, it blows up." Hanabi said proudly.

"That last part is a side-effect I decided to keep." Torunai smiled.

They reached the mission office and Ino put the scroll in front of Iruka. Iruka looked at the scroll and scanned through a list then just handed the scroll to Torunai. Torunai just gave Ino the victory sign and they went to the flower shop to meet Inoichi for the mission. Inoichi was surprised when Torunai showed up carrying the scroll he gave Ino.

"Torunai-chan, I thought you would be too busy to do me this favor." Inoichi smiled.

"Iruka-sensei just handed her the scroll daddy," Ino said a little ticked off.

"I know honey, that happens when Konoha's second best, on the books at least, seal master is around." Inoichi turned to Hanabi. "And you must be my former student's apprentice, nice to meet you Hanabi-chan. So you got my mission, huh?"

"I wanted to take it from Ino on the way to the tower but she didn't want any of it. You know a girl's got to eat even if she has an apprentice." Torunai said playfully, "Do you want me to work on the seal here or would you be visiting my new estate, Inoichi-sensei?"

"Me?" Inoichi laughed, "I'm too old to learn new tricks. Ino will accompany you. Basically we need to remove the side effects without compromising the inner workings of the seal."

"What will the seal be used for?" Hanabi asked then shrunk back behind Torunai.

"How cute, but I'm glad you asked." Inoichi said then motioned Ino to fetch the seal. "We want the seal to reconnect synapses of severed heads for a brief period in order to extract only the most vital information from it."

"Ino knows which synapses connect I assume." Torunai asked, Inoichi nodded, "It will take a few months to complete the seal depending on what was done before."

"Take all the time you need. We have been working on this for years and we are no experts." Inoichi said just as Ino returned.

"Then why have a seal master look at it only now if you don't mind me asking Inoichi-sensei."

"Hyuuga Hinata," Inoichi said lowering his head.

Torunai said nothing but took out a vial that held her blood and that of several of her friends. Torunai gave it to Inoichi and Ino to add their own blood, she explained how the gate worked briefly and then they left.

At the estate Torunai pushed chakra into the brick and it finally opened up. Torunai noted the time frame for future reference, eighteen days. She added the new blood and like before the fox turned its head towards the gate, only this time the barrier glowed.

**End of chapter**

**I decided to stop here. That way I have a foundation to build on in the next chapter. Thank you for all my readers. Like all authors I hope to see more reviews, it helps write better stories, but it's not important.**


	13. A Notice not a Chapter

_**Uzumaki Torunai **_

I'm busy going over the chapters in order to pick up where I left of. This is only temporary and I will start working on the story again soon. During the past two months were hectic so I need this time to relearn the characters.


End file.
